Amidst concerns about a well-organised human smuggling ring here involving Haitians and Cubans, government will be implementing a visa requirement for the two nationalities as a condition of entry into Guyana, Attorney General Anil Nandlall last night said.
“We are taking a position that will require visas for these nationals when they come including Haitian nationals, Cuban nationals etc, so the Government of Guyana will be moving in that direction,” he said.
Nandlall made the disclosure on his weekly televised programme “Issues in the News” while speaking of the recent discovery of 10 Haitian nationals in a hotel at Skeldon, Corentyne.
He said that the suspected human smuggling activities have long raised concerns as many of the Haitians and in some cases Cubans, do not leave Guyana via the legal channels.
“We have a problem in Guyana, which we have been grappling with. It is the influx of persons from various nationalities. It has been long suspected that their entry into Guyana is part of a human smuggling ring of international stature. They enter Guyana and they do not remain here, very few leave through the channels that they came,” he stated.
He pointed out too that other Caribbean countries have implemented the visa requirement for Haitian nationals in a bid to prevent such activities. On this note he said that Guyana is one of three Caribbean nations that currently allow visa-free travel for Haitians.
In 2019, the numbers obtained from both the then Department of Citizenship and from Brazil confirmed that the Haitians are passing through these countries on their way to a final destination. Guyana’s immigration records show that 8,476 Haitians arrived here and 1,170 later departed. Brazil’s immigration records show that 6,925 Haitians arrived in that country and, except for 129, the majority left.
It was also reported for 2019 that 13 persons had been charged with human trafficking-related offences but none of these cases involved a Haitian, either as a victim or a perpetrator, the ministry pointed out.
“These people are being smuggled, Haitians, there are some Venezuelans and there are Cubans but in the main it remains Haitians,” Nandlall said.
Nandlall said they have already met with the United Nations Human Rights Commission, INTERPOL, the Cuban and American embassies, and other international anti-human smuggling agencies to register their concern.
He noted too, that Suriname also faces a similar situation and will have to find ways to address it.
Last Thursday, police on the Corentyne found ten persons, who they initially thought were juveniles but turned out to be over 18 years of age.
In a statement, the Guyana Government said members of the police force, acting on information received, went to the Swiss Hotel located at Skeldon, Corentyne, Berbice, where they found the persons in a room. One of the ten persons is pregnant and only one spoke English.
Nandlall pointed out that these are classic indictors of a smuggling ring.
The statement said that the Haitian nationals did not possess any form of identification or passports. However, during questioning, one of them who spoke English related to the police that they arrived in Guyana on Monday, June 14. The individual said that the group was bought from neighbouring Suriname via speedboat.
Presently, Nandlall said that the police are working to arrest those involved in the detainment of the ten persons.
Only last Wednesday, the statement said, the police arrested a number of Haitians, Nigerians and Cubans in the vicinity of Lethem, Region Nine. “Some of these persons did not have entry stamps in their passports in relation to Guyana. This is taking place when all neighbouring borders with Guyana are currently closed. There is a continuous influx of these persons at both Cheddi Jagan International Airport and the Eugene F Correia International Airport at Ogle,” it further said.
The Brazilian Government, the statement added, has already expressed concern about the situation, while the Surinamese Government has also shared intelligence that suggests that the racket extends to that neighbouring Republic. The Cuban Ambassador to Guyana has also been engaged on the issue.
In addition, the statement noted that the government will also “immediately” review its immigration protocols and impose lawful restrictions and conditions that it considers necessary.
