Gov’t to create asylum tribunal for Cuban refugees

(CNS): The premier told members of the Legislative Assembly Friday that the number of irregularly landed Cubans seeking political asylum is increasing and so the amount of time they are spending in the local detention centre is also getting longer. As a result, the government is in the process of establishing a dedicated tribunal to hear asylum applications made by refugees, separating the process of those economic migrants willing to return to Havana from those who believe they have a genuine asylum claim.  

Those who land in Cayman because their journey to the US was interrupted often want to go back as quickly as possible so they can try again but those claiming asylum are staying longer and longer.

Although the number of Cuban migrants that ever actually receive asylum is tiny, the number trying has been steadily growing over the last few years, which is impacting the budget for dealing with migrants and Cuban refugees. As the LA dealt with the supplementary appropriations for the last administration, members voted another $2.87 million to deal with irregular migrants for the 2016 financial year.

Premier Alden McLaughlin, who has responsibility for immigration and the Cuban migration issue, explained that although government has been able to create a smoother repatriation process for Cuban migrants that are willing to return those applying for asylum are adding to the length of time Cubans are staying on island and continuing to push up costs. He said that the process for returning migrants who are happy to go back had “dramatically” improved, with voluntary repatriations happening in some cases in a matter of days rather than months.

But he added that because of international obligations to refugees, asylum claims need to be properly heard. When they are refused they have the right of appeal, so government is hiving off that process from general immigration to make the process more efficient.

The issue of Cubans landing in Cayman is an unpredictable one. The last to land in Cayman was in April. While there has been a decline in the numbers arriving on local shores over the course of this year, political changes in Cuba or the United States can trigger a sudden surge in Cubans taking to the seas to find a better life. When that happens, Cayman inevitably finds more migrants coming ashore when they can no longer continue their journey in the often unsafe, unseaworthy and overcrowded, dilapidated vessels.

According to the most recent official figures from immigration, at the end of last month there were 44 Cuban refugees and migrants at the centre but some of those have been here for over one year waiting for asylum claims and appeals to be conducted.