A sitting minister in Trinidad and Tobago’s Government has reportedly had their United States visa revoked, according to a Sunday Express report published on October 11. The newspaper also reported that the visa status of a senior judicial officer had come under scrutiny, although the officer said a meeting at the US Embassy concerned work-related matters and that the officer had been told the meeting would not affect their visa.
The report did not identify the minister. The newspaper said it contacted the minister by WhatsApp on October 2 and made further attempts by message and telephone during the following days but received no response. The reported revocation therefore remains an allegation attributed to the newspaper’s reporting rather than a publicly confirmed decision by the US authorities.
The senior judicial officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed being summoned to the US Embassy. According to the newspaper, the officer asked whether the meeting would affect the officer’s visa and was told it would not. The report did not establish that the judicial officer’s visa had been revoked or suspended.
The newspaper cited senior Immigration and national security sources who said US visa revocations and suspensions had affected people in several sectors, including Immigration, law enforcement, the Judiciary, politics, public administration and business. Those sources estimated that close to 50 people across different sectors could be affected by the wider enforcement activity. The figure is an estimate attributed to unnamed sources, not an official count released by US authorities.
The report also cited sources who said at least six Immigration officers and a police officer attached to an elite unit of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service had experienced visa revocations or suspensions over the preceding three months. Some Immigration officers were reportedly prevented from boarding US-bound flights, while others who arrived in the United States were denied entry and returned to Trinidad and Tobago.
The newspaper reported allegations involving suspected human trafficking links and payments to facilitate work permits or other immigration documents. It also described questions surrounding a police officer’s reported property transaction in South Trinidad. The material provided does not establish that these allegations have been proven or that any particular allegation caused a visa decision.
In its response to questions from the Sunday Express, the US Embassy in Port of Spain declined to comment on individual cases, citing the confidentiality of visa records. The embassy said the US Department of State continually reviews visa eligibility and may revoke visas when information indicates that a person no longer qualifies under US law. It also said visa authorities may be used when warranted to protect national security, public safety and other vital interests.
The newspaper linked the latest reports to earlier public discussion of US visa restrictions. Attorney General John Jeremie disclosed in Parliament in June that the United States had revoked the visas of certain members of Trinidad and Tobago’s business community.
For now, the identities of the individuals reportedly affected and the specific grounds for the latest alleged revocation have not been publicly established in the supplied report. The US Embassy’s position leaves individual cases unconfirmed, making it important to distinguish the newspaper’s source-based accounts from official determinations or proven wrongdoing.