A protection officer from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees visited Grand Cayman prior to the repatriation of 51 Cubans over the past weekend.
During her visit last week, she met with Cuban migrants housed in the Fairbanks facility and other locations in Grand Cayman to ensure that their needs were adequately met. She also took the time to meet with a Cuban national who was granted refugee status in 1995, said a GIS press release.
The UNHCR representative also met with Chief Immigration Officer Franz Manderson and other senior officers of the Immigration Department to discuss how Cuban refugees are dealt with in the Cayman Islands.
‘The officer’s visit provided a unique opportunity for us to discuss migration and asylum issues,’ Mr. Manderson said in the release. ‘We explored ways in which we can work more closely with the UNHCR in areas such as training for immigration officers and assistance with processing asylum claims.’
The visit also afforded the Cuban migrants the opportunity to speak with an independent third party, which they welcomed, he said.
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