GHRA blasts Guyana’s U.S. deportee deal

Sep 08, 2026 News

…says it’s a ‘lamentable decision’

(Kaieteur News) – The Guyana Government’s decision to support a United States policy of forcibly relocating asylum-seekers and migrants to third-world countries has come under blistering criticism from the Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA), which says the arrangement reeks of disregard for human rights and may violate Guyana’s Constitution.

The GHRA, in a strongly worded statement, rejected President Irfaan Ali’s reported claim that persons sent to Guyana “chose” to come here, arguing that such a claim is difficult to sustain when the alternatives reportedly include countries such as Equatorial Guinea and El Salvador.

The organisation said no amount of official justification could erase what it described as the “pervasive stench” surrounding the agreement. More seriously, the GHRA contends that the Government’s decision could breach Article 141(1) of the Constitution, which states that “No person shall be subjected to torture or to inhuman or degrading punishment or other treatment.”

The human rights body stressed that the constitutional protection applies to all persons, not merely Guyanese citizens, and contains no exception permitting the State to expose deportees to inhumane or degrading treatment. The Government, it said, has also failed to explain the legal basis for agreeing to receive an undisclosed number of deportees in the future.

President of GHRA, Michael McCormack

The GHRA further argues that the arrangement runs counter to international obligations undertaken by Guyana, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, and the Inter-American Convention.

The organisation said the latest controversy is also symptomatic of what it described as a continuing deterioration in principled governance during Guyana’s oil boom. It pointed to what it considers the growing acceptance of exploitative forms of overseas labour, alleging that some Guyanese businesspeople, with the involvement of public officials, have facilitated arrangements resembling modern-day indentureship.

The GHRA said the plight of foreign workers only came to public attention after a group of Indian labourers revolted and Indian diplomats intervened. It also raised questions about the 2025 elections and the interpretation of “domicile” by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), claiming that temporary workers from the Indian sub-continent were allowed to vote on the basis that Guyana constituted their “primary residence.”

The organisation said neither that controversy nor the workers’ revolt appeared to have triggered meaningful concern at the governmental level. It further pointed to recent notices concerning Bangladeshi workers being contracted for a major project reportedly associated with the brother of President Ali. Against this backdrop, the GHRA questioned why the Indo-Guyanese community whose foreparents themselves endured indentureship would not be especially sensitive to arrangements involving forced relocation and vulnerable migrants.

The organisation argued that forced deportation represents the potential end point of a chain that begins with people fleeing poverty and violations of their social and economic rights.

The GHRA’s immediate demand is straightforward: the Government must release the full text of the agreement with the United States governing the acceptance and treatment of deported persons.

Until that document is made public, the organisation contends, serious questions will remain over exactly what Guyana has agreed to and at what cost to the country’s constitutional and international human rights obligations.

The government has finalised a one-year migration cooperation framework with the United States, under which the country will receive, according to a statement issued on Saturday, limited, vetted group of non-criminals, skilled individuals through the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) Assisted Voluntary Return Programme. The agreement marks the immediate rollout of a temporary third-country deportation mechanism, with an initial cohort of six deportees, four originating from Cuba and two from Afghanistan, arriving in Guyana on Friday.

In brief remarks on Sunday, Nicole Theriot US Ambassador to Guyana said the U.S. has been working on the arrangement with Guyana for many months. The deal outlines a temporary arrangement for individuals who voluntarily opt for relocation to Guyana while awaiting the final determination of their immigration status. Official government statements detailed that depending on the outcome of their cases, individuals will either return to their country of origin or relocate elsewhere of their choosing. The arrangement operates under strict parameters and does not offer open-ended residency or permanent resettlement.

Under the agreed terms, the United States Government will bear the complete financial burden of the relocation exercise, ensuring Guyana incurs no financial liability. The operational execution of the framework falls directly under the IOM, which will fund and manage reception, housing, basic support, and social integration services, including healthcare, employment supervision, and facilitating contact with legal counsel and family. The IOM confirmed that the arrangement does not transfer any of the state’s official legal duties concerning immigration admission, protection, legal stay, or deportation.

The administration maintained that Guyana holds total sovereignty and retains complete veto power to review and deny any individual put forward by U.S. authorities. Only individuals who explicitly consent to relocate of their own free will, have been denied asylum in the U.S. without wanting to return home, and meet strict non-criminal and skill criteria will be admitted.

Foreign Secretary Robert Persaud confirmed to Al Jazeera that the initial cohort had been vetted by Guyanese authorities and found to have no criminal backgrounds. The Miami Herald quoted Persaud as stating that Guyana reached the agreement after months of discussions dating back to January. He pointed out that Guyana’s position regarding accepting skilled migrants is tied to its ongoing oil boom, which has created an estimated skills gap of 70,000 to 80,000 workers. Persaud added that the U.S. has not made any further requests for third-country deportations to Guyana at this time. Guyana is the latest of several member states to receive U.S. deportees, joining St. Kitts and Nevis, Belize, Dominica, Antigua and Barbuda, and St. Lucia. Nevis signed a memorandum of understanding to accept non-criminal deportees from CARICOM nations, excluding Haitians, after facing US visa restrictions. Other nations agreeing to third-country deportations include Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Costa Rica, Mexico, El Salvador, Paraguay, Ghana, Eswatini, Rwanda, South Sudan, Uganda, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Poland, and Uzbekistan. Reports indicate the Trump administration has approached at least 58 governments, utilising leverage such as tariff concessions or threats of travel bans and diplomat restrictions, while paying ancillary integration expenses.

Human rights activists and organisations such as Amnesty International, Refugees International, and Human Rights First have denounced third-country deportations as inhumane and potentially illegal under international law, noting that many deportees lack ties or language familiarity in destination countries, face severe human rights abuses, or risk unlawful repatriation to places of persecution. Conversely, the Trump Administration has defended the legality and merits of the mechanism under its mass deportation programme, portraying it as a vital national security tool to deter unlawful migration and clear backlogs where home countries refuse repatriation.

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Deportee, GHRA, Guyana’s Constitution, Guyana’s U.S., human rights

One thought on “GHRA blasts Guyana’s U.S. deportee deal”

Sean Kandasammy September 8, 2026 at 3:44 pm

Unacceptable, The Government cannot make certain decisions without consulting the Guyanese People! This country doesn’t belong to Mr Ali or the PPP government! Donald Trump is distroying Planet Earth , and This PPP government is taking orders from them!🇬🇾

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