Cayman Islands activates contingency plan against possible increase in irregular migration from Cuba

MIAMI, United States. – The authorities of the Cayman Islands said that their security services are preparing contingency plans for the possibility of an increase in irregular migration from Cuba, particularly due to the worsening of the crisis on the Island after the capture of the Venezuelan dictator. Nicolas Maduro.

Governor Jane Owen stated that, after a meeting of the National Security Council on the probability that “large numbers” of Cubans arrive illegally in the territory, the inter-institutional Committee on Mass Migration plans to meet “next week” to discuss preparations, as stated in the program Forefront from Compass TV on January 15.

“We need to make sure that we are prepared in case any of these actions result in an increase in irregular migration from Cuba,” Owen said in that television program.

The Commissioner of Police, Kurt Walton, participated in the same program and assured that the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service, the Coast Guard and Customs and Border Control work together in planning. “We work closely with our partner [Aduanas y Control Fronterizo] on these matters, but we also work with all our other regional partners on sharing intelligence on (…) what the latest information suggests, and whether there is going to be some type of mass migration,” he said.

Walton added that the priority is to anticipate. “The best thing for us is to really plan, prepare in advance, in case that happens, to have a contingency plan ready,” he said.

Cayman Islands has been a transit point for Cuban migrants for years, although many boats cross Caymanian waters heading to other destinations. Those who disembark in the Caribbean country are usually detained before their repatriation. A legislative reform in 2023 accelerated the processing of asylum applications, which would allow Cuban citizens to be returned more quickly than in the past, when they could benefit from a lengthy appeals process.