More than 170 Cubans are currently at Customs and Border Control facilities in Cayman.
Three were recently repatriated, but a decision on the next steps for the remaining 172 nationals still in CBC care remains under consideration.
A CBC spokesperson has confirmed that the three Cubans had requested repatriation and were escorted back to their native country.
“There are some [Cubans that] are still being processed in accordance with international laws and guidelines. I am not aware of a decision date at the moment,” the spokesperson said following Cayman Compass queries on the plans for the Cubans.
As for the chickenpox outbreak among the Cubans, the CBC spokesperson said all affected nationals are now fully recovered and the virus is no longer an issue.
“The migrants remain housed at their respective locations,” the spokesperson added.
A number of Cubans were being treated earlier this month for the contagious virus. There were at least 20 cases of chickenpox being treated among the Cubans.
The situation led to some of the Cubans held at the detention centre in George Town to pitch tents on the exterior of the compound to keep from contracting the virus from those who were infected inside.
They had pleaded to be moved from the centre; however, CBC said no other accommodations were available to house them.
Additionally, Public Health had advised that the Cubans “cannot be allowed to mix” with the wider community nor would separating them be feasible as they were already exposed to the contagious virus.
The situation at the centre has been tense and, just recently, there was yet another dispute at the centre during which a perimeter fence at the CBC facility was damaged.
The CBC said that necessary repairs have been made to the fence, for both the “migrants and security officers’ wellbeing”.
“CBC continues to work with their partner agencies, including Royal Cayman Islands Police Service and Her Majesty’s Cayman Islands Prison Service, to manage the situation and maintain security,” the CBC said in a 15 July statement following the alleged clash.
That situation, the CBC spokesperson told the Compass this week, has been resolved.
Related Videos
