Opposition MPs press Govt. for transparency on U.S-Guyana deportee pact

(Kaieteur News) – Members of the parliamentary opposition are demanding full disclosure and parliamentary scrutiny over a newly finalised migration cooperation agreement with the United States, accusing the government of executive overreach and governing in the dark after third-country deportees began arriving on local soil.

The demand follows confirmation that an agreement has been struck between Georgetown and Washington allowing Guyana to receive up to, according to MP Walton’s statement, 12 third-country nationals per month, capping at 144 individuals annually over a one-year period. The agreement’s implementation became public only after the first batch of six individuals, including Cuban and Afghan nationals, landed in the country.

Walton said the administration concluded months of secret negotiations without informing the National Assembly or briefing the relevant Sectoral Committee on Foreign Relations. Walton released a statement yesterday raising concerns regarding the legal, security, and administrative gaps in the framework, emphasising that the public was left to learn about the deal through foreign news outlets.