Ten men from Cuba have been detained in Grand Cayman less than 24 hours after they had been seen illegally arriving on a boat in Cayman Brac.
They were first seen off Spot Bay on the Sister Island in the early hours of 9 Aug., according to Customs and Border Control.
“The migrants chose not to disembark and made the decision to continue on their journey,” according to a CBC press release.
On Thursday, 10 Aug., just after 6am, the men disembarked their small wooden boat in Gun Bay in East End, Grand Cayman.
“This is the same vessel that arrived in Cayman Brac… that decided to continue their journey,” the CBC said.
It added that the men will be handled according to Customs and Border Control processing protocols.
Of 353 people who came to Cayman from Cuba illegally in 2022, 350 applied for asylum, prompting an amendment to legislation.
The CBC director is now empowered to refuse an application if they feel it is without substance, after which the application is certified as ‘clearly unfounded’.
That person is then repatriated without an option to appeal the decision to the Refugee Protection Appeals Tribunal.
On deportation to Cuba they will face a jail sentence of three-to-five years for illegal emigration.
Read the Compass special report on Cuban migration here.
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