Cubans cost $1.6M in 2014
Cuban migrants on Cayman Brac, 20 June 2015
(CNS): The government has confirmed that during 2014 it spent over $1.6 million on the detention, housing and repatriation of Cuban migrants who arrived in the Cayman Island illegally. Following calls from the Cayman Islands Red Cross, as it marked World Refugee Day this weekend, not to think about refugees in terms of dollars and cents, that bill may be even more in 2015 as the numbers of migrants passing through local waters continues to increase.
Although many vessel do simply pass by, in the last few weeks more than 60 Cuban refugees have been detained by law enforcement officials. Following the repatriation to Cuba of three remaining migrants at the George Town detention centre in Fairbanks on 15 May, the facility was closed. But just a few weeks later, starting on 10 June, a new wave of migrants has seen 63 refugees detained at the centre.
Government officials said this week that a number of law enforcement agencies were involved in life-saving operations recently involving two groups.
Cuban boat, Little Cayman, 10 June 2015
One group was rescued at sea off the coast of Little Cayman on 10 June, saving the lives of the 18 people on a boat that was dead in the water (right).
Then, according to a release from the home affairs ministry Tuesday, four law enforcement agencies — the prison service, customs, immigration and police — were involved in preventing 37 Cuban nationals who arrived on Cayman Brac on Saturday from trying to continue their journey in what was described as a leaking vessel.
A spokesperson stated that some of the migrants were sick and injured and there were no life jackets on the makeshift boat. The deteriorating vessel had carried 27 men and ten women from the neighbouring island of Cuba into local waters and they were first sighted on Saturday 20 June off Cayman Brac.
Investigations revealed that the group were headed, like most other migrants passing through Cayman waters, to Honduras. But officials said they had insufficient fuel and oil for the journey, the rudder of the vessel was bent and in need of repair and the boat was leaking significantly.
“By the time officers from Grand Cayman arrived on Cayman Brac, the Cubans had removed most of their belongings from the vessel, placing them on the ground while attempting to make repairs,” a ministry release stated.
Officials determined that the vessel was not seaworthy and immigration enforcement officers told the Cubans that they would not be permitted to continue their journey based on the condition of the vessel as well as the lack of fuel and life jackets, and that they would have to be detained pending repatriation.
The Cubans were said to have been transported from Panama Canal, the area where they had landed in Cayman Brac, to the Charles Kirkconnell International Airport.
Cuban migrants at the ‘Panama Canal’ on Cayman Brac, 20 June 2015
A Cayman Airways 30-seat aircraft carried the ten women and five of the men to Grand Cayman and the remaining 22 men were transported in a second wave via the CAL jet service.
“The overall operation was successful with no injuries to either the migrants or the officials and there is no doubt this operation saved the lives of these migrants,” said Home Affairs Ministry Chief Office Eric Bush.
In April officials from the Cayman Islands and Cuba signed a new memorandum of understanding to help speed up the process of repatriating Cuban migrants who land in Cayman illegally. The government stated that the MoU will be reviewed annually but they have still not released the document, which remains under wraps.
Despite the increasing numbers of migrants moving towards the US, based on the fears that the Obama administration may repeal the ‘wet-foot, dry-foot’ policy regarding Cuban migrants as the two countries normalize relations, the Cayman government has not budgeted a sufficient amount to deal with Cuban refugees.
With an appropriation of just $250,000 in the 2015/16 budget to deal with illegal migrants, government will be facing a significant shortfall in a very short space of time if the pace of migration continues. However, during Finance Committee government officials said that because there was no way to know how much would be required, a notation was made in the Annual Plan and Estimates indicating that government was expecting to finance the appropriation on a needs basis.
Category: Customs, Immigration, Local News, Police, Prison
Well I hope you feel a lot better ‘The Country With No Plan’ after ridding yourself of all of that; you should.
Where are these Cubans trying to get to? The US, right. And if after we give them food and water and let them go on their way, a US Coast Guard cutter intercepts them, what will be their fate? They’ll be taken on board the cutter and when it’s picked up enough, it will head to Cuba and let them off. That’s because the US has a process for Cuban nationals, just like nationals from any other country who want to visit legitimately.
I sat next to Cuban lady on a CAL flight recently who told me she was making her fifth trip to Florida to visit family.
The people who come out way are generally those who for one reason or another do not feel that they should be subject to the processes or have disqualified themselves from being part of the legitimate processes.
And if we follow your plan (ignoring the $M’s it will cost us) and the day comes when the US takes a turn in our a__, what is your plan to deal with that?
Can we have a breakdown of the expenditure, whatbis the amount paid to staff watching the Cubans. What is the cost per officer?
Who determined the boat not to be seaworthy ? I don’t know of one official that was in the Brac with the qualifications to say this.
The goal is to capture Cubans and keep them from freedom.
A blind man can see that was not seaworthy. It was leaking. Or we could let them go and spend several thousand rescuing them from the Ocean
Fool I would get in that boat any day because I know boats and the sea
Just as I would sail a cat boat to cuba or a raft to Hondo its what I do that said their is a top heavy tour boat operating in cayman on the daily it came from Haiti to cayman about 5 years ago Its sister ship capsized when passengers all went to one side of it. That boat I will not get on
What a tiny amount. Approximately 0.2% of the CIG’s bloated budget.
An amount which could be better spent elsewhere or saved.
First of all, let me voice my opinion that I do NOT believe any of the Press Release statements given by the Ministry of Home Affairs. They issued what is known in the Civil Service as ” how do we spin or fluff this story” – I don’t believe it!
Our new “spin/fluff” having failed Transparency and Accountability, is now ” “Due to Budget Constraints and Due to a lack of Resources” to explain the inefficiency and ineffectiveness of an over-sized Civil Service, but we find money to supplement Cuba’s budget by repatriating their dissidents.
This is the same Ministry that allowed a Caymanian to die in a Panama jail, after the family asked for help to allow them to serve their sentence here because of inhumane conditions? And after the person’s death, they shrugged their shoulders and basically said : ” oops, it was on my desk, but I had not gotten around to it yet”. After all, there were not human or Caymanian, their Passport said ” Criminal” as Nationality. Remember we are a God Fearing people and last time I checked the Bible – the ” fruits of life” were for non-sinners as my God, had no heart, no compassion and certainly no forgiveness.
This is the same Ministry who sanctioned the death of a Cuban National who drowned to DEATH off the coast of South Sound, because of a Treaty we signed with Cuba, who snubs their noses at 98% of World Tresties.
We should be ashamed of ourselves as a Caymanian people. Our recent negotiation with Castro and Cuba should have said ” Due to budget constraints and lack of resources” for our own people, our Policy is to give your people, running away from hardship, is to give them water, repair their boats, offer food and send them on their way”. Sorry guys, but we have people without electricity, water, and a high unemployment rate, losing their houses, THIS IS OVER, we can’t police your dissedents anymore.
And furthermore, as you, Cuba, do not abide my 98% of the World’s International Treaties – I know you understand where Cayman is coming from.
But since I am here, and you are known for Medicine and Doctors, can we discuss using Cuba as an option for medical services as Florida, our first choice for sending our ill overseas, is the 3rd most expensive place in the WORLD to access health services, and as I just explained to you my people are suffering and ” we have budget constraints and lack of resources for our own people”, high level of crime, drug addiction, can’t finish our biggest High School, can’t build new roads – Cuba we have problems – can you help us realize a cheaper medical service cost? That should have been our conversation.
Caymanians, we should be ashamed of ourselves, to detain, house as criminals and repatriate those fleeing from Communism!!!
Bloggers – Please do NOT waste your time by responding with ” We will be blacklisted for helping one on their mission to freedom”. I would take PRIDE in being blacklisted to give another human being the freedom and quality of life I live!
Shame on the Deputy Governor. Shame on this Country.
As a God Fearing Country ( joke), God don’t like ugly and remember Hurricane Ivan might have a brother or a sister. I think we have lost our senses!!!
Well said.
I wonder who made the majority of that money??? Remember there was a “particular” security company there just a short time ago, but I think was replaced by RCIPS cause to many cubans were escaping