Migrant numbers pose increasing challenge
(CNS): Over the last week another 39 Cuban migrants have arrived in the Cayman Islands, including seventeen people who were rescued at sea by the Caribe Legend, a cargo ship heading to Grand Cayman. The sixteen men and one woman arrived safely at the George Town port on Sunday morning. They join more than 300 other migrants being processed by the Customs and Border Control Service (CBC), adding to an increasingly costly challenge.
Another 22 Cuban migrants have arrived in Cayman Brac waters in four different unseaworthy boats since Thursday.
On Friday CBC said the increased number of Cuban migrants over the past several weeks has raised challenges for the CBC and has sparked public concern. There are now around 325 men and women under CBC’s supervision, including around 100 on the Brac, all of whom need suitable accommodation and support. The cost of security, maintenance and detention of migrants for the period of January to September this year was almost $1.3 million.
The timeframe for receiving authorisation for repatriation from the Cuban Government and the length of the asylum application and the appeals process is proving increasingly costly.
Border Control Minister Chris Saunders said the government is seeking to meet with representatives from Cuba and that he understood the concerns raised by members of the public regarding the recent increase in Cuban migrant arrivals as well as the costs and delays involved.
“The government also has concerns regarding the practicalities and costs involved,” he said in a press release about the increasing numbers. “However, we have to understand that the repatriation process is not one which Cayman Islands Government authorities have total control over. The Cayman Islands has obligations under the 1951 UN Conventions on Refugees with regard to refugees and asylum seekers. Each migrant has the right to apply for asylum and the right to appeal if the application is denied.
“It is only once this process is completed that we can begin the repatriation process, and the timeline for their return to Cuba is also dependent on the Cuban Government’s response,” he explained.
Saunders also pointed out that as well as legal obligations, there is a need for humane considerations. “CBC is being inundated with requests from people in Cuba seeking information on their loved ones who embarked on the dangerous journey,” he revealed. “As fellow human beings, our hearts go out to both those worried about their loved ones and those desperate enough to make that voyage.”
But he added that as a small country Cayman could not absorb all arrivals due to limited resources. “It is a complex problem, and one that is not easily remedied,” the minister said. This year around 221,000 Cubans have arrived in the USA via the Mexican border as economic challenges drive people in Cuban to seek new opportunities
“We are all aware of the economic challenges in Cuba that often influence people seeking a better life to leave their country,” Saunders stated. “These factors have been further aggravated by current global forces, including the war in Ukraine, which would result in less aid coming from longstanding ally and trading partner Russia. Combined with the devastation caused by Hurricane Ian, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, and ongoing international sanctions against Cuba, all of this has led to a worsening economic crisis in the country and in turn to mass migration.”
The primary local challenge caused by the recent influx of Cuban migrants is the provision of appropriate housing. Migrants are currently placed in separate accommodations around Grand Cayman and Cayman Brac. The long-term objective is to accommodate all migrants in one facility. The minister explained that as a result, CBC and his ministry team have met with the Public Works Department (PWD) to discuss repairs and upgrades to the Immigration Detention Centre (IDC).
When repairs and upgrades are completed, the IDC will be suitable to provide secure accommodation to all irregular migrants until the asylum process is completed.
All of the Cuban migrants currently in the Cayman Islands have applied for asylum. Only 14 have either exhausted their asylum application process or withdrawn their applications and are awaiting repatriation back to Cuba. So far this year, just four migrants were taken back to Cuba on two flights, one last week and one in July.
A dedicated team within CBC is specifically tasked with handling asylum and irregular migration matters and is currently processing migrants and their asylum requests. The overall goal is to streamline the assessment process and return unqualified applicants to their home country as quickly as possible.
Saunders said the government is also tackling the issue from a diplomatic standpoint. “While we are doing all we can on the ground to expedite matters, we are also maintaining dialogue and cooperation with the Cuban Government,” he said. “In light of the increase in arrivals to the Cayman Islands, and understanding that the situation may worsen, we will be meeting with Cuban Government representatives before the end of the year to determine the way forward.”
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Category: Local News, Politics
Plan A-apply for asylum. Plan B-back to Cuba. These are the only options these people have. Both are time consuming and expensive for Cayman. Give them a Plan C option to move on voluntarily if their boat is good enough to make it. If they are willing, give them provisions and fuel and send them on. It will be much cheaper and quicker. If people start coming for the free gas, it’s still cheaper than keeping them in Cayman for years.
Inexperienced slow work equals big bills for CIG , get your fingers out send them packing quickly
When the community was helping the Cuban migrants move along to their destinations the government was unsatisfied. The budget for caring for the migrants should be drawn from the fat salaries of senior civil servants. Most of whom only run around trying looking for a photo op and talking about a world civil service.
It amazes me that we cannot afford to pay to take care of immigrants passing through our waters, while seeking a better life; but we can give millions in concessions to the already rich developers to continue to profit from paving over our islands with concrete and glass. With little concern for anyone or anything other than their profit.
Put them all on a flight back to Cuba!!!
I say give the Cubans citizenship who come here illegally as I also think USA should give arriving illegally a pathway to citizenship
send them to the Mother Land to deal with
AND WE HAVE AN INCREASED IN ROBBERIES. Something tells me its not a good idea to have them rented at different places and then roaming our streets. The opportunistic ones will do anything to continue their journey. Some of them may have been serious criminals in Cuba and we don’t know.
The way forward is to process the applications quickly and remove all that do not qualify, promptly.
Persons with the relevant expertise, who did this in the UK before coming here are available and willing to help. They sit in the sidelines while the situation worsens.
Good luck with finding volunteers on your “diplomatic” missions given a trip to Cuba risks disqualifying them from entering the USA.
The Cayman Nazi Party spokesperson has voiced his opinion.
How so, idiot? The poster said return those that DO NOT qualify for asylum.
CBC have to offer other options beyond defaulting to compelling migrants to seek asylum processing in the Cayman Islands, imprisoning, and treating these humans like criminal dogs. This isn’t their intended final destination. If you ask, most are trying to get passage to Nicaragua, where they are answering Ortega’s invitation with Cuba’s blessing. We should offer these humans secure transit and credible means, via an airline seat on CAL, or charter, paid for by their relatives online, that gets them onward to where they intend to go. We have trouble following the UNCHR code at the best of times with our own citizens, and certainly aren’t ambassadorial intermediaries for the Hague. Without subsidy and capacity interventions from UK and USA, the best thing we can do is give them a fighting chance to go forth. We may all need to move north ourselves one day to survive.
How ironic that the typical comments for any problem in Cayman is to bash expats and those from the UK and USA (and elsewhere); but here it seems it is their responsibility to subsidize and provide interventions to solve a Caymanian problem. I look forward when Cayman takes responsibility to address their own problems (migrants…, the dump, corruption, poor education, poor ministerial candidates, un-enforcement of laws, ministers who should be in jail, intolerance of equal rights for all, rampant destruction of the ecosystem, rising crime, traffic congestion…).
There are political directives that the Cayman Islands have to follow. When will general public understand this is a decision beyond our control? We can either go it on our own or fall in line. I, for one, prefer the latter.
we’ve always been alone, until recently, and recently the trouble has started…haven’t you noticed?
Business (shops)owners/CBC are making money from Government taking care of the Cubans, thats why they are always in these islands so long . They don’t care about the Government as long as they making money.
9:33 am, why dont they go to Nicaragua from Cuba ?. They have many fights weekly between the two countries.