Cubans And Afghans Deported From US Arrive In Guyana Under Trump Deal

Guyana has received six nationals deported from the United States under the Trump administration’s expanding third-country deportation programme, marking the South American country’s first intake under a new migration agreement with Washington.

Guyana’s Foreign Secretary Robert Persaud said the group, comprising four Cubans and two Afghans, arrived on Friday after being vetted by Guyanese authorities. Their records showed no criminal backgrounds, and they were deported primarily over immigration issues. Local reports said the six people are aged between 20 and 36.

The arrangement follows months of negotiations between Guyana and the United States. Under the agreement, Guyana will receive a limited number of vetted, skilled and non-criminal third-country nationals through the International Organization for Migration’s (IOM) Assisted Voluntary Return Programme.

Guyana retains the right to review and reject individuals proposed by the US. Authorities have also said they intend to accept only people who voluntarily choose relocation to Guyana. The US will bear the costs associated with the relocation, while the IOM will oversee the programme’s implementation.

The six deportees will remain in Guyana while their immigration status is determined. Depending on the outcome, they could eventually return to their countries of origin or be relocated elsewhere. The arrangement will initially remain in place for one year and does not amount to permanent resettlement, Persaud said.

Persaud also said the United States has made no further requests to send deportees to Guyana at present.

The development comes as the Trump administration expands the use of third-country deportations, under which migrants are sent to countries other than their own when direct removal to their home countries is difficult or unavailable. More than 30 countries have reportedly entered similar arrangements with the US, including several nations in the Caribbean and Africa.

Guyana joins St Kitts and Nevis, Belize and St Lucia among Caribbean Community members that have agreed to receive small groups of US deportees under such arrangements.