The Law Association of Trinidad and Tobago (LATT) says it has noted with some concern, recent statements made by Minister of National Security Stuart Young in which he questioned the role played by lawyers in recent court proceedings seeking to prevent the deportation of Venezuelan migrants.

In a statement on Monday, LATT said: “The Law Association wishes to remind the public that the Courts are bound to uphold all of the laws of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and to hear and determine all applications brought before the Court.”

This statement was in particular response to Minister Young’s criticism of the Court for not applying the law but “the policy that it wants”, and his lament about the “upsurge in Habeas Corpus proceedings” the use of which he described as “very dangerous”.

The Law Association stated: “The Courts are bound to uphold all of the laws of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and to hear and determine all applications brought before the Court.”

It added: “For their part, attorneys-at-law are duty bound to represent their clients fearlessly in order to ensure that the law is followed and the State is held to account.”

LATT noted that while the Covid-19 pandemic poses a danger to citizens of Trinidad and Tobago, “the fundamental rights and freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution to all who happen to be on our shores, including especially the rights of the child, the Independence of the Judiciary and the rule of law must not be disregarded even in these trying times.”