Rowley accuses Trinidad PM Persad-Bissessar of prompting US visa cancellations
The former prime minister demanded to know how many citizens the government reported to Washington, while the prime minister said critics who ‘badmouth’ the US should behave.
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad and Tobago. Trinidad and Tobago’s main opposition party has accused Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar of taking “tales” about citizens she dislikes to American officials, possibly causing dozens to have their US entry visas revoked.
Former prime minister Keith Rowley, who retired last year weeks before his People’s National Movement (PNM) lost the general election to Persad-Bissessar’s United National Congress (UNC), demanded that she disclose how many citizens’ visas had been revoked because of actions by local authorities.
List of offences
Rowley raised the issue on social media on Monday after the State Department published a list of offences leading to automatic visa revocation, including felony crimes, violence against US citizens, defrauding Americans, abusing the immigration system or endangering national security.
He argued that the prime minister and other officials had called for the cancellation of visas held by him and former prime minister Stuart Young, although there was no record of either committing crimes against the US.
“Which of these offences were they guilty of? Besides Rowley and Young, how many other citizens she and her government have reported to the US government with a recommendation to have their visas cancelled,” Rowley said.
He said the UNC leadership and those close to it had been “warning and threatening the citizens about losing their US visas”.
Attorney general’s remarks
The row follows recent comments in parliament by Attorney General John Jeremie, who confirmed that several people linked to the opposition and big business had lost their visas.
Prime minister’s stance
Persad-Bissessar has backed the Trump administration’s approach of turning away people who have verbally attacked the US.
“I think it is the height of hypocrisy and unkindness that there are people in our country who want to fight the Americans,” she said. “They have cut their visas, so behave yourself. Understand where our help comes from.”
