U.S. revokes visa of Trinidadian critic of American presence in Caribbean

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No one can suggest to Trinidadian businessman Gary Aboud that last week’s cancellation of his American entry visa is not linked to stirring criticism of U.S. attacks on alleged drug boats and its highly publicized plans to take military action against Venezuela.

Aboud, secretary of Fishermen and Friends of the Sea (FFOS), has been a strident critic of attacks on vessels in waters between Venezuela and Trinidad, calling the dozens of attacks and deaths extrajudicial killings in clear terms.

But late last week, the mission in Port of Spain, the country’s capital, formally wrote to Aboud, informing him that his visa was being revoked because authorities had received certain new, but unspecified, information about him.

But unbowed and unrepentant, Aboud says his views will not change and he will continue advocating against attacks on vessels between the two countries. His cancellation is the first known in the country suspected of being linked to heightened tensions in the Southern Caribbean and it has come at a time of stirring national and regional debate of Trinidad and Tobago’s glaring support for American action in the area. He also swiped at Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and her cabinet for their open support for the U.S. while other regional governments campaign to maintain the Caribbean as a zone of peace.

“If the global community recognizes these killings as unlawful, why does our own leader endorse them? And if the United States possesses intelligence identifying these alleged ‘narco-terrorists,’ then such evidence should be presented before a court, not used to justify missiles fired in international waters,” Aboud said. “NGOs are being silenced,” he said, accusing authorities of conspiring with the U.S. to cancel his 10-year non-immigrant visa.

In its missive to Aboud, the mission noted that “we are writing to notify you that your B1/B2 visa for travel to the United States has been prudently revoked. This email is considered official notification of that revocation. This action is based on the fact that additional information became available after the visa was issued indicating that you may be inadmissible to the U.S. and therefore ineligible to receive a visa,” the mission stated.

On his suggestion that the cabinet might have played a role in his current plight, PM Persad-Bissessar denied any such links, saying she respects free speech.

“The government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago has absolutely no involvement in the decisions or actions taken by the government of the U.S. or the U.S. Embassy in Trinidad and Tobago regarding their visa or immigration policies. These matters fall solely within the jurisdiction of the U.S. government. Any concerns or requests for clarification or redress must be directed to the appropriate U.S. authorities.” She said there are no efforts to stymie the work of NGOs. “I categorically state that there has never been — and will never be — any attempt by my government to intimidate, punish, or suppress the voices of civil society. In fact, when a former prime minister recently called a press conference at his ‘office’ and made a host of unfounded claims, I made it clear that he is free to speak. That is how democracy works, and my government will always uphold that principle,” she said in a statement.

Several members of the academic community, opposition politicians, and others in civil society have hurled stinging criticism of the U.S. actions and the stance their government has taken, suggesting mostly that the cabinet is unnecessarily placing the republic in the middle of superpower politics that can harm the country in the future when the geopolitical landscape changes.