Immigration rounds up suspects following tip-offs

| 07/05/2018 | 52 Comments

(CNS): The Cayman Islands Department of Immigration (DOI) Enforcement Division arrested six people during the last two weeks of April following a number of operations, including spot-checks based on tip-offs. Official said that their work led them to check the immigration status of 49 people as they conducted operations looking for immigration infractions. Officials said they are using proactive patrols and operations to enforce the law and enhance public safety, border security and the integrity of the immigration system.

On 18 April DOI officers orchestrated 24 targeted spot-checks in the Eastern Avenue area of George Town of people suspected of holding permits of convenience. However, Acting Chief Immigration Officer Gary Wong said that every person questioned possessed valid authority and was found to be in compliance with the Immigration Law.

On 19 April spot-checks on 12 people were conducted in the South Sound and Walkers Road area of George Town. Two were arrested for suspicion of working outside of terms and conditions of a work permit.

Then on 25 April, 13 spot-checks were carried out in the Eastern Avenue area of George Town resulting in the arrest of two people on suspicion of holding permits of convenience. Another operation was conducted at a business based on allegations of people working without a permit, but no offence was detected by officers at the establishment.

The next day, 26 April, DOI enforcement and customs officers engaged in “a joint operation to effectively and safely conduct a search at a construction site in the South Sound area”. With the assistance of a customs dog, officers initiated a search for a person suspected of overstaying and burglary who is wanted by the RCIPS. He was also located and arrested on suspicion of various offences.

“The Enforcement Division will continue to pursue, arrest, and remove persons from the Islands where circumstances warrant,” Wong said. “We encourage compliance with the Immigration Law by both employees and employers, and welcome the continued support that we receive from the public in the provision of confidential tips. Our enforcement teams will continue to use a combination of patrols, targeted operations and act on information received from the public.”

Anyone with information about immigration-related offences is urged to contact the confidential information hotline at 1-800-Legalim (1-800-534-2546), or email legalim@gov.ky.

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Category: Crime, Immigration

Comments (52)

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  1. Anonymous says:

    They are not the ones breaking into people homes every. Caymanians are the ones invading the homes. So i do hope tbat the police is also rounding up these thiefs as well.

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  2. Anonymous says:

    Thank God something is being done I hope they visit all the numbers spot be people are getting permit for something else and is selling numbers . Anonymous

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  3. Anonymous says:

    Little Cayman checks next?

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  4. John says:

    Trump is really trying but the laws on books are hindering him.
    Stupid law says they can come in but they have to report in 90 days. They never show up for court. Nothing gets enforced. Cayman is even better so far ten than Trump and his groups trying to keep out illegals that are taking away jobs from our blacks and other Americans.

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  5. Anonymous says:

    So did someone figure out that the persons arrested were not Caymanians?

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  6. Anonymous says:

    Mostly Hondurans and Jamaicans from Criminal Cultures!

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    • RICK says:

      So who let them in?
      Immigration sleeping on the job

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      • Freddy says:

        What they need to do is all the work permits that are submitted they should be calling the USA, UK, Canada and inquire if any of these applicants have been deported from these countries and if they have been they should be immediately turned down and if they in the Cayman Islands be removed IMMEDIATELY. There are a lot of deportees working in this island and WOmen too not just the men.

    • Kace Inplace says:

      Criminal cultures or subcultures? Rude like! Well to be honest Cayman doesn’t really have crime right? Maximisation of happiness so abuse of women and children and habitual sex with children doesn’t count.

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      • RICK says:

        According Caymanians it’s the offsprings from expats that commit crime. Caymanians are hard workers and have no time to commit crime.

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  7. Anonymous says:

    Is there a finders fee? I could do this part time and make a full time salary!

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  8. Anonymous - Cay says:

    It seems everytime when the Chief of Police need more officers or equipment, he gets it. Everytime when MLAs need some glory, they get it. I think its all political.

    Immigration enforcement officers has no head to represent them. They are headless. Former CIO Linda Evans didn’t help much. Its like garbage collecting issue we have on this island. Not enough trucks, not enough equipment and staff. And are they being paid well? Or the short staffed emergency doctors you have here at the G.T. hospital. You sit down waiting for hours to see one doctor. Immigration don’t have enough enforcement officers and staffing. All like 10 officers for the entire island of over 30 thousand permit holders and don’t mention the many businesses here. I am serious! It is rediculous! And what hurts me more, is to see these businesses breaking the law, and still they are doing business.

    I’ve heard of an employer who everytime decieves his employees, harass women, make his workers pay for their permits, not paying pension, get around breaking the labor laws. People report him. But I guess his business is too big to fail in the Cayman Islands! They’ve made against him and he is either fined or warned or whatever … he does the same thing every year, and yet still has a Trade and Business Licence! He is still doing bad things to people!

    How could the government be so hard on ordinary people yet so relaxed on employers or companies that do wrong???

    Anyways …

    Immigration and Customs are the border controls of the country! If you can’t protect the country’s border, no matter how many police you have, your fighting a losing battle, Cayman. No wonder why bad employers are getting away with breaking the law! And Caymanians not getting work because you have expats willing to illegally work for “chicken fee” or sell their bodies, and these employers (that complain of the cost of doing bisiness here in Cayman) eager to hire these expats. They work as a team. So we have not enough enforcement, and its a huge joke! …

    But again … our MLAs love to make long speeches and beef up the RCIP to make the headlines. :)> [chuckle]

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  9. Anonymous says:

    First real enforcement of the immigration law since Mr Manderson left the department.
    I can tell you because I work in immigration.

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  10. Anonymous says:

    They need look at those men who have their own foreign women listed as domestic helpers. These men have kids with the women, live together, and still have permits for them. That falls under the ‘convenience section’. Check it out Immigration Dept.

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  11. Anonymous says:

    What about all the permanent residents who have not paid their fees since getting it..Those are the ones they should be going after…collect some money or deport them..

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    • RICK says:

      Don’t see why PR holders have to pay to work, Cayman seems upside down.
      Maybe Caymanians should also start paying to work and help contribute rather than complain

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      • Anonymous says:

        They need to pay as that is what they signed up for when they applied for PR.

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        • RICK says:

          Then don’t complain when they get PR and Status . You all set you own laws and break them to suit you.

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      • Anonymous says:

        PR workers have a licence to reside. Caymanians are Caymanians… no government can revoke their right to remain, except for those that have grants.

    • Anonymous says:

      Have they not? Seems easy enough. Do you have proof people haven’t paid but stayed on?

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      • Anonymous says:

        I am not sent sent a courtesy email or an invoice in the mail. There is not an annual stamp in my passport stating I have paid for the year.

        I usually pay one or two months after the anniversary date. There is no late payment fee.

        I have not been questioned at the airport when i enter and my fee has not been paid.

        It is important to me to obey the law, and I travel often, so although I am a little late in paying, my fees are always paid.

        Someone who does doe travel nor have any inclination to travel can easily avoid the payment.

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        • Anonymous says:

          That seems crazy. We have PR and pay on time. So you’re saying you don’t even have to pay on time and there is no extra charge? Sounds like this is even a bigger shit show the civil service will never fix.

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  12. Michel Lemay says:

    Congratulations to All involved on this operation. We have too many overstayers, working outside their permits. Used to be employer’s redponsibility to report to Immigration and were involved in repatriation. If that changed time to curb on our illegal immigration problem. Kudos again.

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  13. Anonymous says:

    Good stuff. Ramp it up. Check public transport, restaurants, construction sites particularly new start-ups, boat operations including the dive industry and the security firms. Thank you for seeking to enforce the law. Keep it clean. Keep it sharp and keep it focused.

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  14. Anonymous says:

    “Immigration finally starts doing their job” would be a better headline.

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  15. Anonymous says:

    That bastard Trump could really learn a bit of empathy from Cayman when it comes to kicking out illegal immigrants. Oh… Wait…

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  16. RICK says:

    Good job by immigration dept. Now if they only live up to their part of the immigration law for tentative PR and Status holders.

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  17. PD says:

    Good job – please keep it up.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Also to the people reporting actionable information (unlike the posters on here). Good Job & keep it up.

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  18. Anonymous says:

    Better check for letters of acknowledgment same time. Windrush a come!

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  19. West Bay Premier says:

    About time they started doing again. The last time I knew that they did that was 1989 .

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    • Anonymous says:

      They handed out status in 2003. It was less hassle than arresting some of them.

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    • Anonymous says:

      89 is Just about right, when Mackeeva implemented the Labour Laws, which was to take care of his foreign workers. Before his laws, Caymanian businesses were sending home these workers when jobs were slow. The law was put there for them to complain to Immigration, and labour Board that the businesses fired them. This discouraged the businesses from sending them home..who was being dragged in court and was charged to pay servants pay or charge for unfair dismissal. This caused the businesses to let them remain on Island to freely hustle other work. This resulted in them staying here for the prescribed time to apply for residence. Mackeeva’s plans worked fine.

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    • Anonymous says:

      They rounded up everyone building my house in 2014. Took the Caymanian contractor a month to find a new set of Jamaicans. I don’t think more than 2 or 3 Caymanians worked on the house ever. That’s the opposite of what I set out to do, but that’s how it turned out.

  20. Anonymous says:

    they’re out ta get me….they won’t catch me..

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