Border Control
Cuban migrant arrested, baby taken into care
(CNS): Javier Freites, the man who appears to have led the standoff between the Cuban migrants and local authorities last week, has been arrested, officials have confirmed. The Cubans were removed from the MV Bulk Freedom, the ship that had rescued them out at sea, late Thursday night. However, Customs and Border Control stated that […]
Cubans leave boat as standoff ends
(CNS): The MV Bulk Freedom was finally able to leave the George Town harbour late last night after the stand-off between the Cuban migrants and the Cayman authorities ended. The government obtained a court order to get treatment for a sick infant among the group after her parents repeatedly refused to accompany her to hospital […]
Captain insists Cuban migrants must get off his ship
(CNS): The captain of the MV Bulk Freedom has indicated that he is unwilling to take the Cuban migrants currently occupying a communications room aboard his vessel to any other port and has insisted that the group must disembark here in the Cayman Islands, according to the latest official update on the impasse. Customs and […]
Baby falls ill as Cuban Facebook stream cuts off
(CNS): Social media posts by Cuban refugees and migrants aboard the Bulk Freedom show that Jouz Javier Freites’ phone was cut off at around 8:00 Thursday morning and he is no longer able to live-stream the situation on the cargo ship. Meanwhile, his baby is believed to be very unwell and in need of medical […]
Cubans still refuse to leave tanker
(CNS) UPDATED 2:20pm Wednesday: Officials have now confirmed that there are 12 adults and one baby aboard the Bulk Freedom, a merchant tanker which remains anchored in George Town Harbour as the stand-off between Customs and Border Control (CBC) and a group of Cuban migrants, who are refusing to disembark, continues. One man, who is […]
911 loses contact with Cubans on tags
(CNS) UPDATED: More Cuban asylum seekers who have been living in the community wearing electronic tags as they wait for their asylum claims to be heard have gone missing. Border Control has confirmed that they have been unable to locate ten refugees. With the last signals from the monitoring devices being received by the Department […]
Deportation of isolation breachers denied
(CNS): Cayman Islands officials have denied claims by Dennis Mack, Skylar Mack’s father, that seven people were deported from the Cayman Islands for breaking COVID-19 isolation rules around the time his daughter was arrested, charged and then jailed for her breach. Responding to CNS inquiries, officials from Travel Cayman said the allegation was false.
Missing Cubans make it to Cancun
(CNS): The 14 Cuban migrants that Customs and Border Control admitted to losing on Friday, five days after the Department of Public Safety Communications (DPSC) lost connection with their electronic tags, have appeared alive and well in Cancun after being rescued by the Mexican Navy, according to local media reports. The missing migrants made it […]
CBC and 911 ‘lose’ 14 migrants
(CNS): The Customs and Border Control Service has revealed that it is unable to verify the whereabouts of 14 Cuban migrants who were living in rented private accommodation and wearing electronic tags. In a release issued Friday, the CBC said that the Department of Public Safety Communications (DPSC) had informed them on Monday they had […]
Over-stayers warned to sort papers or leave
(CNS): The over-stayer amnesty put in place as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic to prevent those unable to leave from being prosecuted will come to an end on 31 October. Anyone who no longer has a valid work permit or any other official document allowing them to remain is urged to either address their […]
CBC remains focused on training staff
(CNS): The transition of the Cayman Islands Customs and Border Control Service from the traditional role of gatekeepers to a targeted intelligence-led approach is a major part of the agency’s development. Training is therefore an important factor for all staff, from management to new recruits, according to a release from the CBC. To this end […]
