Cubans and Afghans deported from US arrive in Guyana — SkimNews
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- Guyana's government received six deportees from the United States on Friday, the first group under the Trump administration's third-country deportation system, comprising nationals of Cuba and Afghanistan.
- Robert Persaud, Guyana's Foreign Secretary, said his administration vetted the group and found no criminal backgrounds, adding they were removed from the U.S. primarily over immigration issues.
- The arrangement was reached after months of negotiations, runs for one year, and does not constitute permanent resettlement—deportees could ultimately return to their country of origin or be relocated elsewhere.
- The Assisted Voluntary Return Program is being implemented by the U.N. International Organization for Migration, with Guyana's government bearing no housing or supporting costs.
- Persaud told the AP that "the U.S. has not made any further requests" beyond the current six-person group.
- Other Caribbean Community member states—St. Kitts and Nevis, Belize, and St. Lucia—are also receiving or set to receive small groups of U.S. deportees, making Guyana the latest of several hosts.
Why it matters: Guyana becomes the latest of at least four Caribbean Community states absorbing U.S. deportees under short-term, year-long arrangements that explicitly avoid permanent resettlement, with the U.N. International Organization for Migration—not the host government—footing the bill for housing and support.
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