It is always refreshing to see our regional brothers and sisters coming to this country in the valiant effort to better themselves, usually in the absence of the ones they love.

This shows ambition and of course, our country and by extension, our Government's encouragement of such progress.

As time progresses we see some benefits and of course the negatives that these situations can bring, as even our nationals have the same privileges in other Caricom territories.

This is why I feel a true sense of despair and concern when I see the sudden rise in crime committed in this country by non-nationals.

I saw murders, and in recently I read of robberies which were committed by nationals of other countries. This I am certain will not stop there, as the trends seem to point to what has happened in societies like the UK, the US and Canada.

Such situations make migrants appear to be a nuisance and hindrance to development due to their perceived association with criminal activity and heavy reliance on social services at the expense of the host country.

When crime begins to escalate and is further fanned by those from other Caribbean countries, the very openness of our country to people from those states comes into question.

It is aggravated by the rising tensions brought about by cultures, races and different people who fight for a place in society. Why is it that the process by which these individuals come here isn't closely monitored so that we do not further mess up our society with criminals?

Many times we see instances where our very own nationals were turned back from other countries due to these very issues which we have brought upon ourselves.

These individuals who leave wherever they came from to come here to cause trouble should be sent right back without any delay.

We can do without the likes of those who act as a barrier between us and development and it is time we stand up against this sort of invasion in our country.

Goodridge Bartholemew

Tobago