A new memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the Cayman Islands and Cuba is imminent, following high-level talks in Havana last week.

The meetings took place over Thursday, 18 and Friday, 19 September 2014 at the Hotel Nacionale de Cuba.

Headed by the Deputy Governor, Hon. Franz Manderson, the Cayman Islands team also comprised the Attorney General, Hon. Samuel Bulgin, Deputy Chief Officer in the Ministry of Home Affairs, Mr. Wesley Howell, Chief Immigration Officer, Ms Linda Evans and the Deputy Governor’s Office representative, Ms Patricia Stoll.

Ambassador Rafael Dausá Céspedes, Director of Consular Affairs and Cuban Residents Abroad in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs led the five-member Cuban delegation.

Other members included the Inspector of the Division of Identification, Immigration and Aliens in the Cuban Ministry of the Interior; and a Specialist each from the Division of Consular Affairs and Cuban Residents Abroad; the General Division of Latin America and the Caribbean and the General Division of Multilateral Affairs and International Law.

“The meetings were very productive,” the Deputy Governor commented. He added that topics covered included:

• Speeding up the process for the return of illegal Cuban migrants;
• Strengthening the mechanisms for preventing and combating irregular migration;
• Preserving the legitimacy of legal migration; and
• Ensuring observance of the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter.

The two teams developed a draft MOU which will be discussed further through diplomatic channels and quickly finalised, the Deputy Governor said.

“We are confident that the new MOU will better facilitate the return of illegal Cuban migrants from the Cayman Islands, largely due to, among other things a significant reduction in processing time,” Mr. Manderson explained. “This should deter illegal migration from Cuba and, consequently, also reduce costs to the CI Government, incurred in detaining and maintaining the migrants,” he added.

Related story

Cayman Islands continues pushing desperate escaped slaves from Cuba back out to shark-infested seas

By Alberto de la Cruz, on September 19, 2014, at 9:00 am

The humanity and compassion of the Cayman Islands’ government is boundless:

Via Cayman27:

Migrants come and go as solution sought

A Cayman delegation led by Deputy Governor Franz Manderson is in Havana, Cuba today (18 September). Mr. Manderson is meeting with his counterparts there to update the countries’ current agreement on dealing with illegal migrants.

Meanwhile, the latest group of undocumented migrants to enter our waters have left Cayman Brac.

Staying only a few hours the group of 20 Cubans were first seen off Spot Bay around 11:00 a.m. but left the sister isle around 4:30 p.m. yesterday afternoon.

Immigration officials confirmed the group of 18 men and 2 women decided to continue their journey to Honduras after being anchored off Scott’s Dock in West End for around three hours.

For more on this story go to: http://babalublog.com/2014/09/19/cayman-islands-continues-pushing-desperate-escaped-slaves-from-cuba-back-out-to-shark-infested-seass/

IMAGE: foreignpolicyblogs.com