Guyana rejects majority of U.S. deportees

(Kaieteur News) – An initial proposal to send monthly deportation flights of non-citizen foreign nationals from the United States to Guyana has seen a quiet start, after local authorities exercised their right to review U.S. manifests and approved just six individuals from a significantly larger pool of potential candidates.

Speaking on the sidelines of the 27th Americas Regional Conference on Wednesday, U.S. Ambassador to Guyana, Nicole Theriot explained that while Washington had hoped to establish a regular monthly flight schedule, final arrival numbers remain entirely up to the discretion of the Guyanese government.

“Our plan was to hopefully send one flight a month with those who had been approved. At the last manifest, you will know that only six people came, and the manifest was quite large. So, a lot of people were rejected. The government here has said they will not take anyone with a criminal record, which is absolutely appropriate and within their rights,” Nicole Theriot, U.S. Ambassador to Guyana