Seven Cubans, four women and three men, appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts on Tuesday after being found to have overstayed their time in Guyana.
Acting Chief Magistrate Faith McGusty issued deportation orders for five of the individuals, while granting two others the opportunity to leave voluntarily by December 4, 2024.
Yamina Rina Stivens, Lourdes Leonard Carabolla, Artetis Dominiguez Bartista, Yamika Regla Morrjon Boza, Jaciel Antonio Rosa Rodriguez, Luis Raul Bango Rodriguez, and Yunier Aballe Artigas, appeared in court with the assistance of a Spanish interpreter to ensure clarity during the proceedings.
According to immigration records presented in court, each of the Cubans had entered Guyana legally but failed to leave within the allotted time or seek extensions for their stay. Morrjon Boza arrived on February 20, 2024, with permission to remain until March 19, 2024, but overstayed her visit. Similarly, Carabolla and Bango Rodriguez also failed to adhere to the terms of their entry, as did Bartista and Artigas, who arrived in August 2024 and remained.
In the case of Stivens and Rosa Rodriguez, both had entered Guyana in 2023 with one-month visas but similarly overstayed without applying for extensions. However, during the hearing, their lawyer informed the court that Rosa Rodriguez was prepared to purchase tickets for himself and Stivens to return to Cuba voluntarily. Considering this, the magistrate allowed them to leave of their own accord by December 4, avoiding immediate deportation.
The court underscored the seriousness of overstaying in breach of immigration laws and granted the Immigration Department permission to deport the remaining five Cubans.
