The Government of the Cayman Islands approved significant amendments to the Customs and Border Control (CBC) regulations.
These amendments introduce the transit visa requirement for Cuban citizens, in an effort to better control the flow of migration through their territory.
The statistics from CBC and Workforce Opportunities & Residency Cayman (WORC) indicate that many Cubans use the Cayman Islands as a transit point to other countries in South or Central America, traveling with round-trip tickets.
However, a significant number of these travelers do not return to Cuba, which has prompted a review of the migration regulations to require transit visas for travelers coming from Cuba.
Between November 2021 and November 2023, data shows that 12,381 Cubans traveled on a round trip ticket on Cayman Airways (CAL) from Havana, but only 3,116 people returned to the point of origin.
In May, a group of Cuban rafters staged a protest in front of the Cayman Islands Government Administration. The demonstration was in disagreement over the persecution and arrest of two Cuban migrants.
The CBC had confirmed an operation in the early hours of April 30 at the Bodden Town Civic Center, with the aim of locating two people who had escaped from the CBC Detention Center. Both were apprehended and face charges for evading police custody.
The incident ended with a protest by more than 20 Cubans, who gathered on the steps of the Government Administration building to demand the resolution of pending asylum cases.
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