Invisible Gates Made Visible in Trinidad and Tobago: Projected and Sanctified Violence by the Liberal State upon Illegal immigrants and Refugees

Abstract

Over the past decade, illegal immigrants from other countries, especially those from Venezuela, to the Anglophone Caribbean territories such as Trinidad and Tobago have increased (Chaves-Gonzalez and Echeverria-Estrada 2020: 1). The extent of this illegal immigration to this country is clearly illuminated in the statistics provided. Trinidad and Tobago as of May 2023 received 35.3 thousand Venezuelan illegal immigrants (IOM Global Crisis Response Platform 2022).  With the concern to protect national and economic interests, the debate on securing the rights and privileges of illegal immigrants in this Trinidad and Tobago, has been increasingly pushed to the forefront. So, too, has the discussion on the relationship between those prejudicial migration policies and the form of sanctified violence inflicted on these illegal migrants.