Overview
- Guyana received the first of six deportees on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026, when a vetted group of Cuban and Afghan nationals arrived to await the outcome of their U.S. immigration cases while in the country.
- Guyana says the one‑year Assisted Voluntary Return arrangement is run by the U.N. International Organization for Migration and does not count as permanent resettlement with the Guyanese government refusing to provide housing or ongoing support.
- The transfer is part of a wider U.S. push that has produced agreements with more than 30 countries and earlier documented moves that routed migrants through Guatemala and sent groups to Liberia.
- Human rights groups and lawyers warn the practice risks violating non‑refoulement and may pressure migrants to drop claims because many transferred people have no criminal convictions, while U.S. officials defend the program as lawful and a deterrent.
- Smaller host states and aid agencies face legal, logistical and financial strain from the deals, and the policy is likely to prompt more litigation and scrutiny as transferred migrants seek relocation or final determinations of their status.