Venezuelan Women in Trinidad and Tobago Face Legal Limbo, Xenophobia, and Violence

In the borough of Arima, a small but bustling urban enclave with a country-town feel in north-central Trinidad, a cheerful two-story bungalow painted in turquoise and burgundy is emblazoned with a sign reading La Casita in cursive. Andreina Briceño Ventura-Brown founded it as a bilingual, community-based space for children in 2017. But in recent years, the rapid upswell of Venezuelans moving to the twin islands has shifted the community center’s focus to direct service for recent immigrants, especially women. 

Since 2014, Venezuela has faced a deepening political and economic crisis that has forced about eight million people to flee the country. While Colombia hosts the largest number of Venezuelan migrants overall, Trinidad and Tobago, situated just off the coast, hosts the second-highest population of Venezuelan immigrants in the Caribbean. Historically, there has been a steady political, economic, and cultural exchange between the two nations. Venezuelans contributed to Trinidad’s cocoa industry and left a lasting cultural legacy, including the musical tradition of parang. And many Venezuelans travel to Trinidad to learn English. But recently, as conditions worsened in Venezuela, this movement shifted from short-term migration to one of survival. Since 2018, thousands have made the dangerous journey to Trinidad by boat, often arriving undocumented, vulnerable, and in search of safety.

The arrivals of Venezuelans to Trinidad has highlighted the fragility of the country’s immigration system, with many exposed to extreme xenophobia, exploitation, and marginalization due to their undocumented status. 

While Trinidad is signatory to international treaties such as the 1951 and 1954 Refugee Conventions, as a dualist state, these agreements only take effect if domestic legislation is passed. In practice, this means there is no governing law requiring compliance, and the current Immigration Act of 1969 contains no provisions for refugees or asylum seekers. Attempts to address this gap have been limited. In 2014, the government, in partnership with the UNHCR, developed a policy to guide the treatment of migrants, but it is not legally binding and carries no enforcement power. A previous registration process allowed only a small number of migrants to formalize their status, leaving thousands in legal limbo. “Due to the deficiencies in our existing legislation and legal framework, that is one of the main reasons or the core reasons why there are so many challenges faced by the migrants,” explained Adaphia Trancoso-Ribeiro, former legal director of the Women’s Institute for Alternative Development (WINAD), an organization that advocates for gender justice and human rights. Since the twin island lacks refugee legislation and a migration policy, many Venezuelans are left without legal avenues to reside or work. This increases their vulnerability and marginalization from Trindadian society. 

While migrants face obstacles in other Latin American countries, some have more structured and supportive integration efforts. Colombia has implemented various initiatives to prevent statelessness among Venezuelan migrants, including granting protective status and allowing Venezuelan children to access citizenship in some cases. Historically, Ecuador also created opportunities for Venezuelans to regularize their status, with programs aimed at providing temporary residency to reduce vulnerability, though last year, President Daniel Noboa ended the agreement and an amnesty for Venezuelans in the country. 

As tensions between Trinidad and Venezuela escalated over US military activity in the Caribbean over recent months, the government intensified its crackdown on Venezuelan migrants. Authorities announced plans to round up and deport Venezuelans in state prisons, and reduced the number of work permits issued from 4,275 to under 800, a staggering 82% cut. Many Venezuelans, even those with legal status, reported abandoning jobs and housing to avoid detention. Amid deteriorating diplomatic relations, migrants face rising precarity. Advocates have raised fresh concerns about due process and human rights protections.

Veronica Vasquez, who worked in human resources in Venezuela, was forced to flee because of the high levels of insecurity. In Trinidad, she began working low-wage jobs. She worked for a sausage company, then as a salesperson. She initially came to La Casita as a client before getting a job there providing social services. Drawing on her experience of working with survivors, Vasquez emphasizes that the key to reducing violence and exploitation against Venezuelan women is equipping them with knowledge of their rights: “Empowerment through information, that is my personal emblem, if women are informed about their rights, things might improve, because they won’t have to endure these situations once they know where to go and what their rights are.”

The sudden surge of Venezuelan immigrants to the twin islands has highlighted not only the fragility of Trinidad’s legal system for migrant protection but also the existing social, economic, and political inequalities. These impact all residents, and disproportionately affect the migrant community. 

Nevertheless, regardless of the political decisions made by those at the top, Venezuelan migrants in the twin islands are here to stay, and human interpersonal connections continue to develop between the communities. Moreno has seen more Trinidadians learning Spanish, such as taxi drivers. She has witnessed rich cultural exchange, such as over culinary delights. “Just as we like doubles,” Moreno said, referencing the sumptuous Trinidadian street food made with chickpeas and deep-fried flatbread, “they like empanadas or arepas.” She added, “There is rejection, and there is acceptance.” 

As Ventura-Brown said: “My community is a champion in resilience.”