The Cayman Islands Department of Immigration repatriated a total of forty-three Cuban migrants to Havana, Cuba, within the last twelve days. Customs and Prison officials also assisted.

Currently 64 Cuban migrants remain in Immigration custody on Island – 41 males, 21 females and 2 children.

There are currently no migrants housed at the Bodden Town Civic Centre as they have either been repatriated or relocated to the Immigration Detention Centre.

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The Immigration Department has come under scrutiny with many concerns recently from The Cayman Islands Human Rights Commission. One letter of complaint accused the Department of taking a long time to address incidents they had uncovered about the way Cuban migrants are being processed and detained.

They included:

1. a failure to properly assess each migrant on arrival (and on a continuing basis) to determine the most appropriate detention conditions for them and to establish which detainees needed to be secured at higher-risk or lower-risk facilities;
2. the difference in detention locations providing for different rules being applied to migrants. This
is further influenced by the fact that HMPS oversees the Immigration Detention Centre whilst private security guards oversee civic centres.
3. inconsistent procedures for handling migrants with special medical needs (pregnancy, HIV/AIDS, etc.);

4. allegations that sexual activity (some of which may constitute sexual assault) has been occurring amongst detainees;
5. allegations that detainees are susceptible to being exploited of by visitors to the properties
where they are detained;
6. an allegation of a sexual relationship between a private security guard at the East End Civic
Centre (previously being used to house migrants) and a detainee;
7. an allegation that a private security guard at the East End Civic Centre regularly smoked ganja with detainees and that those detainees were given special privileges (i.e. additional phone use); and
8. allegations that private security guards have allowed detainees to be picked up from the East
End Civic Centre and taken off the property during the night.

Additionally, there are numerous concerns about the physical conditions of the buildings in which the detainees are housed. The Commission has visited these premises and notes the following issues:

9. fire exits have been blocked;
10. there is overcrowding;
11. males and females are housed together and required to use the same bathroom and shower facilities; and
12. mould is present in the showers.

The response from the government department was less than satisfactory and criticised the Commission for making the problems public.