The government of the Cayman Islands says it returned a second group of Cuban migrants to Havana last month under revised legislation rolled out in 2023 that enables officials to process asylum claims very quickly and deport almost all of those who have landed in the British Overseas Territory after breaking their intended journeys to Central America.
Customs and Border Control (CBC) repatriated nine migrants to Cuba on December 27, without incident.
The group successfully left the country accompanied by CBC officers on a non-chartered Cayman Airways flight.
The changes to the rules were intended to act as a deterrent, but while there was some decline in the arrival of Cubans in 2023, the numbers began to increase again last year.
Usually, the Cuban migrants that land in Cayman waters do so because of problems with the makeshift vessels many use to leave the neighboring island or problems with supplies and weather.
According to the CBC, in most cases, the groups are ultimately bound for the United States and target Honduras as their starting point for that land journey.
In 2024, the number of Cubans arriving in the United States has continued to increase, with more than 106,757 arriving legally by June. This is part of a large-scale migration crisis that has been ongoing since 2021. The migration crisis has caused a population decline in Cuba of nearly 8%. The economic crisis in Cuba is worsening, and the migration crisis shows no signs of ending. Many Cubans risk dangerous sea crossings to escape economic hardship. The State Department has identified children, young women, the elderly, and disabled people as the most vulnerable to trafficking.
