‘Guyana cannot carry this burden’- Mohamed on U.S. Deportees

Sep 12, 2026 News

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…says will further strain socio-economic system

(Kaieteur News) – Leader of the Opposition, Azruddin Mohamed believes that Guyana’s acceptance of third-party U.S. deportees will add a further strain on the country’s socio-economic system.

Guyana is one of more than 30 nations that have now signed deals with the Trump administration to accept deportees from the U.S. who are not their own citizens.

Guyana’s government has said in a statement that those relocated to the country under what it called the “Assisted Voluntary Return Programme” will await the outcome of their immigration cases in Guyana and could ultimately return to their country of origin or be relocated somewhere. Guyana has since received six Cuban and Afghan nationals deported from the United States under a one-year arrangement with the administration of President Donald Trump.

However, there have been calls for the government to release the details of the arrangement to accept the foreign nationals.

To this end, Mohamed has joined calls for the release of the details of agreement. Guyana became the latest country to open its doors to a number of skilled, non-criminal migrants deported from the United States.

The opposition leader told Kaieteur News that there are risks involved in accepting foreign nationals into the country under such circumstances.

He said details of the agreement should be publicly accessible.

“This is so that we can all be aware of who is coming into our country. Also, it is a burden on our infrastructure, for example, healthcare, electricity, security, water, rental, food. Because we can’t even handle our own much less additional, and we have 1000s of migrants here in Guyana undocumented, and it’s posing a security risk and threat to our citizens too.”

The opposition leader also noted, “There were some concerns about the government’s ability to monitor those persons because the government, don’t even know how many migrants in our country right now. Every day, migrants coming into our porous borders, and they don’t know. They don’t have a count of how many migrants are in our country.”

As a result, Mohamed said he intends raise his concerns about the arrangement in parliament.

“That’s in our pipeline, at the reconvening of parliament because we must be aware, and it must be public, and all these individuals coming into our country, the citizens we must know. We must know, you know, their background, etc.”

APNU Member of Parliament Ganesh Mahipaul had also raised concerns about the deal. He noted that while Guyana can assist people in need, it cannot do so while citizens continue to struggle with housing, unreliable utilities and inadequate public services.

“Guyanese must not come last in Guyana,” Mahipaul declared, stressing that he was not opposed to helping foreigners but questioned whether the country has the institutional capacity to properly manage and monitor the programme.

The Government of Guyana had confirmed the conclusion of a migration cooperation framework with the Government of the United States of America, under which Guyana will receive a limited, vetted number of skilled and non-criminal individuals through the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) Assisted Voluntary Return Programme. As part of the framework, Guyana retains full discretion to review and reject any individual proposed for relocation, and the United States will bear the full cost of the relocation process. The government intends to accept only individuals who have chosen relocation to Guyana of their own volition.

According to a statement issued by the Department of Public Information (DPI) IOM, the UN Migration Agency, will be responsible for the operational implementation of the programme. IOM will cover the costs of receiving, housing and supporting individuals relocated to Guyana, and will provide the services needed for their integration, including access to communication with legal representatives and family members. The Government of Guyana will not bear the financial cost of the programme, and IOM has confirmed it will not assume, and this arrangement will not transfer to it, any of the government’s responsibilities concerning admission, legal stay, protection or removal.

The statement noted that President Irfaan Ali’s government has framed the arrangement as an extension of Guyana’s longstanding commitment to human rights and international cooperation.

“The government insisted that individuals relocated to Guyana must retain the right to seek international protection where applicable, and the IOM will support the referral of such cases to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in coordination with the relevant Guyanese authorities. The government has also confirmed regular, effective and sufficiently private access to communication with legal representatives and family members,” the press release outlined.

The arrangement is temporary in nature and does not constitute permanent resettlement. Individuals relocated to Guyana under the Assisted Voluntary Return Programme do so voluntarily and will await the outcome of their immigration status determination while in Guyana. Depending on the outcome, individuals will either return to their country of origin or relocate elsewhere of their choosing. Their presence in Guyana is governed by a set of pre-defined terms rather than open-ended residency.

The framework is the latest expression of the steadfast partnership between Guyana and the United States, which has blossomed under President Irfaan Ali’s Government across energy, trade, investment, security and diplomatic cooperation. It reflects the strength and maturity of the bilateral relationship and Guyana’s standing as a trusted and constructive partner to the United States in the region. The Government of Guyana will continue to work closely with the IOM, the UNHCR and relevant domestic stakeholders to ensure the framework is implemented in a manner consistent with Guyana’s laws, its human rights obligations and its national development priorities.

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• Azruddin Mohamed, Guyana-USA, U.S. deportees

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