MIAMI, United States. – The Cayman Islands Customs and Border Control (CBC) reported that there are 269 Cubans in the country waiting to be repatriated, according to the report of CaymanNewsService.
Authorities said 86 of the Cubans are on Cayman Brac, most of whom arrived in recent weeks. According to CBC reports, in October 99 Cuban migrants landed in the country because they ran out of food or fuel, or because their boats were not seaworthy.
No Cuban has been repatriated from the Cayman Islands after the start of the coronavirus pandemic, when the borders of both countries were closed.
Some of the 269 migrants have been in the Cayman Islands since before the pandemic. Many of them are in CBC custody and some live in the community.
At the end of April of this year, the CBC activated a contingency plan given the massive arrival of migrants – including many Cubans – on the coast of Cayman Brac.
“There is no benefit in intercepting migrants by sea before they arrive on our shores because they will still have to be processed in the same way in accordance with the International Convention for the Treatment of Refugees,” said the director of CBC, Charles Clifford.
In mid-April 2017, the governments of the Cayman Islands and Cuba modified and signed a memorandum of understanding that defines the terms within which Cuban migrants who land in that territory would be repatriated.
“A massive influx of migrants or refugees will inevitably present national security and budgetary challenges,” Clifford said.
The Cayman Islands Mass Migration Contingency Plan can be activated once the CBC Detention Center reaches 80% capacity.
“While the number of migrants does not exceed the Center’s capacity, it was important not to wait until the situation became unmanageable to inform and prepare the Committee on Mass Migration and, by extension, the agencies that make up the Committee,” added Clifford. .
Currently, Cuba is experiencing a migratory exodus that threatens to surpass the Mariel crisis. Weekly, dozens of Cuban rafters they take to the sea in an attempt to reach the shores of Florida. Most of them are intercepted by US authorities and returned to the Island.
However, others end up in territories far from the United States, not counting those who disappear and even die on the high seas.
Receive information from CubaNet on your cell phone through WhatsApp. Send us a message with the word “CUBA” on the phone +525545038831, You can also subscribe to our electronic newsletter by giving click here.
