Ayanna Webster-Roy Calls on Government to Cancel Plan to House Deportees at Piparo Empowerment Center

May 22, 2025 – Twenty-one Trinidad and Tobago nationals are expected to be repatriated from the United States tomorrow, following a formal request from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). In preparation for their arrival, the Ministry of Defence is considering the Piparo Empowerment Centre as a venue to house the deportees. The proposal has sparked concern among residents of Piparo, many of whom have expressed alarm and fear over the potential impact on their community. However, Former Minister for Gender and Child Affairs, Ayanna Webster-Roy, weighed in on the matter and condemned the proposed use of the Piparo Empowerment Centre to house deportees, calling it a betrayal of public trust and a disregard for child welfare. In a social media post, she highlighted that the former PNM government transformed the facility into a Consolidated Child Support Centre for vulnerable children. Webster-Roy criticised that the government was once vocal about the lack of child-safe spaces, and is now converting the centre into a deportee holding site. Webster-Roy called it a reckless and shameful move and calls on the government to reverse the decision and restore the facility to its original purpose.