It is clear that Trinidad and Tobago could be facing an immigration threat due to an overwhelming increase of foreign nationals entering our country, overstaying and in some cases, coming in undetected.
The research-led analysis has continued to show a close linkage between the illegal immigration issues and organised crime. There have been numerous allegations that corrupt Immigration Officers have been facilitating services, at a cost, to illegal immigrants and persons seeking immigration services, in various ways or the other.
The question that arises, is what are the authorities doing to address this issue, and further probes of whether there is an identified authority in National Security to do same.
Which brings me to the point, that immigration in Trinidad and Tobago needs to be intelligence-led. It pains me to think that our decision makers to date, have not seen the significant role and integral part an intelligence-led immigration services can contribute to our national security grid.
Immigration reforms alone cannot address all the security threats facing the country. Much relies on defence, intelligence and law enforcement apparatuses. However, T&T needs to develop practical immigration and border changes that can improve upon the existing security measures while recognising other important national interests in economic security and meeting its humanitarian obligations.
The National Security Council needs to mandate the Ministry of National Security and by extension the immigration services to aim at becoming “fully intelligence-led”, based on the principles of our National Intelligence Model (NIM).
We need to explore the parameters of our NIM and to fully understand that it was created as an “intelligence-led” business model to be used by defence and law enforcement agencies, including our police service, to set their strategic direction, to prioritise and risk manage resourcing decisions, to formulate tactical plans, and to task and co-ordinate national security actions. A key factor in this directive is the amplified approach to border security and immigration.
What will be key to note, however, is whether our national security agencies are aware of the National Intelligence Model and adhering to the operability of its framework and structure.
We must realise that challenges to our immigration services will never be fully solved if the leadership fails to promote the intervention of a transformational approach that is intelligence led as the modernised concept for its business continuity.
GARVIN HEERAH
Former Head of the National Operations Centre
