It is no secret that Immigration officers involved in illicit activities have been living extravagant lifestyles far beyond their official pay grades. They drive luxury vehicles, purchase expensive properties, and travel extensively around the world.“These officers use their positions within the division to promote questionable immigration transactions, give preferential treatment, and find ways to sidestep standard procedures in exchange for financial incentives and other perks,” a police officer told the Sunday Express last week.
widespread: An Immigration racket stretching across all facets of the division has been uncovered.
Minister of Homeland Security Roger Alexander last week told the Express that an Immigration racket stretching across all facets of the division had been uncovered, with Immigration officers collecting thousands of dollars to facilitate citizenship applications, residency permits, work permits, and online passport appointments.The minister described the division as “rotten to the core” and disclosed that a major shake-up had taken place, with several officials being sent on leave.“There are persons paying as much as $90,000 for citizenship and residency. People would apply for work permits, and these corrupt individuals would hold the documents, claiming they were awaiting the minister’s signature.“The minister may have already signed them, but they withhold the documents to collect money. Some of the transactions even took place right outside a private car park in Port of Spain,” he said.He also said reports had been received alleging that Chinese nationals were constructing homes for Immigration officials in exchange for residency.Several Immigration officials who spoke with the Sunday Express early last week, after the Express first broke the story, said what the minister alluded to was “only the tip of the iceberg”.Senior Immigration officers familiar with the alleged racket claimed that the fees for these services were significantly higher than the figures cited by the minister, suggesting that much larger sums of money have been changing hands.They also said numerous officials who had been investigated remain on active duty, while others suspected of involvement in illegal operations are expected to return from vacation leave in the coming weeks and months.“These transactions can actually fetch up to $150,000. Obtaining residency can cost as much as that, while work permits can cost up to $50,000.“There are agents or immigration consultants who walk into the buildings in Port of Spain and San Fernando on behalf of Chinese, Middle Eastern, Indian and Bangladeshi nationals. These are the main victims of this racket. It is also a scheme facilitated at the airport,” said a senior Immigration official.Well connectedOne source alleged that a woman, identified as one of the agents at the centre of the operation, conducts business from her vehicle and charges as much as $50,000 to facilitate a work permit. She is reportedly related to a high-ranking Government official.The source added that several other immigration agents and consultants involved in the alleged scam are considered “well connected” and maintain close relationships with certain Immigration officials.According to sources, these agents frequently enter the offices of Immigration personnel, where arrangements and monetary deals are brokered on behalf of foreign clients seeking immigration approvals and other services.Another Immigration source stationed at Piarco International Airport said, “When Chinese, Indian, Middle Eastern, and Bangladeshi nationals enter the country, they are stigmatised. They are made to feel like criminals and are refused entry in many cases. Whoever is hosting them then has to approach senior Immigration officials to negotiate their admission into the country.At that point, some are made to pay as much as $25,000 for entry visas and admission. Essentially, it becomes a twofold payment—one for entry and another for the refusal decision to be overturned. Junior officers stationed at the airports are often forced to comply with instructions to allow entry for fear of disciplinary action or penalties for insubordination.”But, according to sources, this represents only part of a much larger operation within the system.“Several persons attended a meeting some time ago where a senior Immigration officer boasted that for every refusal taken to hotels where Indian and Bangladeshi nationals are housed, he would receive US$65 per person.“So while they sit there waiting to be admitted or sent back, he collects a substantial amount of money, especially since these hotels have at times housed more than 150 people,” one source claimed.Alexander had also spoken about this alleged scheme in which foreign nationals were deliberately blocked from entering the country. He said authorities were trying to determine who may have issued such instructions.The matter is now engaging the attention of the police and the Cyber Crime Unit.A source also alleged that another racket involving illegal immigrants was being operated by senior officials.“In 2019, a Bangladeshi national was detained in Tobago, and two senior Immigration officials allegedly brokered a deal in which he paid $350,000 to secure his release. To date, that individual remains in Trinidad and is operating a business in North Trinidad without a valid work permit because he has the protection of these officials.“Others in the past have also allegedly been forced to pay similar sums for the same reason,” the Immigration source claimed.The Chinese connectionOne senior Immigration official described as “alarming” the extent to which senior officials allegedly facilitated payments for paperwork involving Chinese nationals over the years.“These officials would often meet individuals at various restaurants and businesses to broker backdoor deals. In many cases, brown envelopes containing large sums of money were handed over to ensure work permits or residency approvals, or to guarantee there would be no problems when Chinese nationals first entered the country through the airport,” he said.Another Immigration official who resides in Central Trinidad, according to a police source familiar with his activities and corroborated by several Immigration sources, allegedly operates from his home, where he keeps files belonging to Chinese nationals, conducts interviews, and charges approximately $25,000 for work permits, while requesting sums close to $150,000 for residency approvals.Police and Immigration sources say it is through these illicit and highly lucrative ventures that many of the officials under suspicion have been able to live far beyond their means and official pay grades.“There is an officer presently on leave who allegedly works closely with Chinese businessmen and their associates. He lives in West Trinidad and is renovating his mother’s house at a cost of more than $1.4 million.“He recently purchased a condominium in the same area for over $2.4 million and also owns property in Arima, along with multiple vehicles, including several high-end SUVs. His salary simply does not align with the ability to afford these assets,” said an Immigration source.Another senior Immigration official allegedly linked to Chinese associates reportedly owns three high-end properties in Arima and three vehicles, including a luxury SUV.Another officer, whose monthly salary is estimated to range between $10,000 and $12,000, including overtime, reportedly owns at least three properties, two of which are valued at close to $2 million in East Trinidad.Another Immigration officer from Central Trinidad, who earns between $7,000 and $10,000 per month, is also suspected of involvement in illicit activities within the division.Despite his relatively modest salary, the officer is said to have built apartment buildings in both East and Central Trinidad and owns at least three vehicles, one of which is reportedly a luxury sports car.“There was an officer suspended some time ago for alleged fraud whose salary was reportedly between $7,000 and $9,000, yet the house they built cost close to $3 million. It is practically a mansion, and they were also making frequent trips to visit their partner in Europe,” an Immigration source alleged.Sources also said there were several other officials with relatively low salaries who owned brand-new Mercedes-Benz vehicles and other high-end brands.However, Immigration sources stressed that while these officers allegedly facilitated aspects of the scheme, they did not possess the final authority to approve residency, work permits, or citizenship applications.They believe the officers under scrutiny were likely supported by other Ministry of National Security officials with the authority, influence, or access required to expedite or approve applications.They maintain that corruption on the scale being described could not have operated without some degree of collusion from individuals higher up within the system.Many suggested that the minister should now investigate personnel within his ministry who may have collaborated with Immigration officials implicated in the alleged illegal activities.
