ANDRE BAGOO Sunday, October 18 2009

WHILE SOME of you yesterday feasted on the delights of Divali, in a small camp at the top of Frederick Street, Chinese workers spent the day in iron cargo containers. Others were enduring squalid living conditions at a camp at Ramsaran Trace, Cunupia. And while this week 70 such workers took to the streets warning the State that they have been illegally trafficked into the country, the response of our State officials has been tepid.

It is an incredible state of affairs. But what do you expect for a country that still has the 1969 Immigration Act on its law books?

Let me quote for you Section 8 (1) of that act, which lists a prohibited class of persons who are not allowed into this twin island banana republic:

“Entry into Trinidad and Tobago of the persons described in this subsection is prohibited, namely–(a) persons who are idiots, imbeciles, feeble-minded persons, persons suffering from dementia and insane persons, and who are likely to be a charge on public funds.” Whoever once said the law is an ass was spot on, because we already have enough of these on our islands already.

The section, though, continues and also bans, “(b) persons afflicted with any infectious or dangerous infectious disease; (c) persons who are dumb, blind or otherwise physically defective, or physically handicapped, which might endanger their ability to earn a livelihood, or render them likely to become charges on public funds; (d) persons who have been convicted of or admit having committed any crime, which if committed in Trinidad and Tobago would be punishable with imprisonment for one or more years.”

Remarkably, it also bans, “(e) prostitutes, homosexuals or persons living on the earnings of prostitutes or homosexuals, or persons reasonably suspected as coming to Trinidad and Tobago for these or any other immoral purposes; (f) persons who are reasonably suspected of attempting to bring into Trinidad and Tobago or of procuring prostitutes or other persons for the purpose of prostitution or homosexual or other immoral purposes.”

Despite what you see on the streets of our city every day, the following are also banned: “(g) habitual beggars or vagrants; (h) persons who are likely to become charges on public funds; (i) persons who are chronic alcoholics;(j) persons who are addicted to the use of any drug.”

The section also forbids entry to, “(k) persons who are engaged or at any time have been engaged or are suspected on reasonable grounds of being likely to engage in any unlawful giving, using, inducing other persons to use, distributing, selling, offering or exposing for sale, buying, trading or trafficking in any drug.” I wonder if this one is working?

Notwithstanding what happened in this country in 1990 and subsequent events, the Section, which is part of an Act that was amended six times between 1974 and 1995, also bans, “(l) persons who are...advocates of the overthrow by force or violence of the established Government of Trinidad and Tobago or any other country, or of all forms of law.”

It’s a good thing we have the law to protect us from immigrants. We might not have effective laws to deal with the trafficking of human beings into our country, but at least we know that we are protected from idiots, imbeciles and feeble-minded persons. In theory.

Email: abagoo@newsday.co.tt