Four people were arrested at Public Beach for work-permit and immigration breaches last Wednesday, Workforce Opportunities and Residency Cayman has said.
Three of the four people were held for working without a permit and have been released on bail pending progression or conclusion of the investigations. The fourth person was handed over to Customs and Border Control for overstaying.
“That individual was not detained, however, [he] is currently under CBC reporting conditions pending removal from the Island pursuant to S. 101(3) of the CBC Act,” the CBC told the Cayman Compass.
This is the latest crackdown from the department as increased scrutiny and monitoring continues when it comes to all aspects of WORC and CBC’s responsibilities.
Just last week Deputy Premier Chris Saunders, in a statement, addressed concerns over the delays in the processing of permanent residency applications saying that increased scrutiny and not a moratorium has caused slower processing times.
WORC, in a statement Monday, said last week’s operation was based on information received by the Department of Tourism and other government agencies regarding “potentially illegal practices” at the beach.
The issue of unregulated vendors at Public Beach was the subject of a Cayman Compass special report last month.
Following the four arrests, WORC said corresponding investigations are currently “active with lines of inquiry and questioning of suspects ongoing”.
WORC Deputy Director of Compliance Mervin Manderson, in the statement, advised the public of the department’s intention to continue with collaborative operations to address working breaches, or other Immigration Transition Act infractions.
“WORC remains committed to protecting Caymanians by bringing offenders to justice. I invite the public to continue to submit information about such illegal activities to our WORC complaints email address on the WORC website. I encourage employers and employees to take warning from these incidents and do the right thing, get themselves regularized, and in compliance with the Immigration Transition Act,” Manderson said.
Saunders, who is also Minister for Border Control and Labour, lauded the WORC Compliance Unit and partner agencies for conducting the joint operation and investigating suspected breaches of the immigration laws.
The deputy premier also issued a message to would-be lawbreakers.
“I have said before, and I will say again, that disregard for our immigration laws will not be tolerated on my watch. Enforcement operations will continue to detect, investigate and prosecute any further breaches. While in the past we have implored employers to comply, we are now expecting compliance and cracking down on all those who continue to disrespect the laws of the Cayman Islands,” Saunders said.
WORC said that breaches of the Immigration Transition Act may be reported anonymously by clicking on the complaints tab at www.worc.ky, completing the online form, and clicking ‘Submit’.
Reports may also be made by email to [email protected].
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