The opposition People’s Progressive Party (PPP) has called the number of Cuban and Haitian immigrants who cannot be accounted for after legally entering Guyana “alarming,” while criticising government’s silence on the issue.
In a statement issued on Friday, the party noted that the situation was raised a year ago by a parliamentary committee and it charged that the APNU+AFC Coalition is continuing to ignore it.
The party’s statement follows reportage in the Kaieteur News newspaper of statistics, albeit not sourced, which indicate a significant rise in the number of Haitian immigrants who entered Guyana in the first seven months of the year (over 8,000) via the Cheddi Jagan International Airport. The state-owned Guyana Chronicle yesterday reported that in the same period, Cuban nationals (41,272) accounted for the largest number of arrivals from the Caribbean region and the second largest number of arrivals behind Americans (45,944).