Tag: Cuban migrants
Prison investment plans too slow, says HRC
(CNS): It is no secret that for many years conditions in Cayman Islands prisons have been dire and in desperate need of investment. But in a newly published document the Human Rights Commission detailed the human rights challenges, describing Cayman’s prison system as “overcrowded, chronically underfunded and in need of urgent investment”. The HRC warned […]
Eight Cubans begin hunger strike
(CNS): A group of eight Cuban migrants being held at the Immigration Detention Centre who landed in the Cayman Islands in September have begun a hunger strike to protest the immigration process, how their asylum claims are being handled, their access to bi-lingual attorneys and restricted access to communications. CNS understands that the asylum claims […]
Nine Cubans land in Brac as 18 return to sea
(CNS): A boat carrying 27 Cuban migrants arrived in waters around Cayman Brac at the weekend. However, it has since left the island with 18 people still aboard returning to its perilous voyage, the Department of Immigration (DoI) has confirmed. Before the boat left, eight men and one woman opted to disembark here and those […]
Detention centre reopens to hold Cuban migrants
(CNS): Officials have revealed that the Cayman Islands Department of Immigration (DoI) has reopened the Immigration Detention Centre (IDC) to accommodate the eleven Cuban migrants who arrived in Cayman Brac last week after being at sea for almost a week. A government press release said the nine men and two women were transferred to the facility […]
Cubans come ashore after six days at sea
(CNS): Eleven Cuban migrants that came into local waters in Cayman Brac Friday morning after spending six days at sea are currently in immigration custody on the Sister Islands, officials have said. The group includes nine men and two women; two of the migrants have landed here on previous occasions. Their make-shift boat was spotted around 10am […]
Cubans released as HRC challenges detention
(CNS): The government has confirmed that it is overturning the policy of detaining all Cuban migrants who chose to land in local waters, regardless of their status, and the Department of Immigration (DOI) has determined that some detainees will be released from the detention facility pending the results of their legal matters. Given the length […]
Cubans still on hunger strike as CIG considers release
(CNS): Eight Cuban asylum seekers held at the Immigration Detention Centre (IDC) have continued to refuse the meals and refreshments provided, but officials said that they have been consuming some personal food items and they have all been seen by doctors. The purpose of the hunger strike, which began at the beginning of this month, […]
Cuban asylum seekers in Cayman begin hunger strike
(CNS): At least nine Cuban men who are seeking asylum in the Cayman Islands, some of whom have now been detained for more than two years and consider themselves political prisoners, have begun a hunger strike. The men are members of the Cuban Nationalist Party (PNC), the unofficial opposition to the current regime. They have […]
Prison to use IDC as jails overflow
(CNS): With more than 220 men crammed into HMP Northward, which is supposed to have a maximum capacity of 212, prison authorities say they will be transferring some low-risk inmates to the Immigration Detention Centre at Fairbanks in an effort to ease the overcrowding at the men’s jail. Northward has been bursting at the seams […]
Cayman has just 20 asylum seekers ahead of Refugee Day
(CNS): As many developing countries around the world are dealing with unimaginable numbers of refugees and asylum seekers landing on their shores on a daily basis, Cayman has just 20 people waiting for a decision on their asylum application. But as the US government faces intense criticism for separating children from their parents in an […]
Cubans injured after boat runs aground on Brac
(CNS): Three Cuban migrants received minor injuries Monday when their boat ran aground on the rocks in Cayman Brac. The Department of Immigration (DOI) confirmed that three Cuban men were stranded on the Sister Island after their makeshift vessel was completely destroyed. The group remained in immigration custody in Cayman Brac Tuesday evening, awaiting transfer […]
