Police and Immigration officers have detained a Jamaican man who allegedly snuck into the country and who police said had been living in the Prospect area for an undetermined amount of time.
In addition to the 25-year-old man, officers arrested a 30-year-old woman who was believed to have harboured the illegal migrant.
Chief Immigration Officer Franz Manderson said landing in the islands illegally is a rarity in Cayman. He said the Immigration Department only handled one such case all last year.
He said officers were still trying to determine how the man who was arrested in Prospect Thursday managed to get here.
‘We’re fairly certain he did not come in through our set ports of entry,’ Mr. Manderson said.
If anyone is found to have transported the man to Cayman, Mr. Manderson said they could also face charges.
The man is being held on suspicion of illegally landing in the islands. The woman he was allegedly staying with was arrested on suspicion of harbouring an illegal immigrant.
Mr. Manderson said it was likely the suspect had made arrangements to stay in the Prospect area before he arrived on island.
‘Most persons aren’t going to come here illegally unless they know there’s someone to harbour them,’ he said.
Cayman Islands law actually allows stiffer penalties for a habouring conviction than it does for those who illegally come here. The maximum sentence for harbouring an illegal immigrant is seven years; the maximum for illegally entering is five years.
‘We want to prevent this type of situation from happening,’ Mr. Manderson said.
Immigration officers were assisted in their investigation by two Royal Cayman Islands Police Service officers from West Bay station.
Station commander Angelique Howell said the arrests were a good example of law enforcement agency cooperation.
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