An alleged assault on an immigration officer during a mass registration exercise involving Cuban nationals at the Ministry of Health compound in Brickdam has intensified demands for the Government of Guyana to explain an operation that has unfolded for days without a clear public account of its purpose, legal authority or scope.
A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Member of Parliament Sherod Duncan said he was at the Brickdam location on Thursday, September 17, for his third consecutive visit when he learned that a scuffle had reportedly occurred as registration began and that an immigration officer had allegedly been assaulted.
Duncan said he could not independently verify the circumstances of the reported confrontation, but his observations at the compound raised additional questions.
“The Government must confirm or correct the assault report and explain what registration is taking place, who authorized it, and why the public was not informed.”
Hundreds of people were waiting both inside and outside the compound, Duncan said, while a substantial police presence had been deployed.
The scale of the operation became clearer when a senior police officer addressed the crowd and announced that the exercise was fully booked until November 1.
Duncan said the officer told those gathered that approximately 100 people were being registered each day and that “tickets” had already been issued assigning applicants specific dates to return.
According to Duncan, the officer said all available dates through the end of October had been filled, meaning persons seeking registration would have to wait until November.
The disclosures suggest that the exercise is a substantial, organised government operation running over an extended period—not an ad hoc registration exercise—yet there has been no comprehensive public explanation from the agencies involved.
“This indicates a large, organized government exercise operating over an extended period, yet no ministry or agency has publicly explained it.”
AMBULANCE REMOVES IMMIGRATION OFFICER
Duncan said the alleged confrontation was followed by a medical incident that further heightened concerns at the compound.
He observed an ambulance arrive and an immigration officer, assisted by emergency medical technicians, enter the vehicle before being taken away.
Duncan made clear that he could not establish whether the officer’s medical condition was connected to the reported scuffle.
“I cannot independently say whether that medical incident was connected to the reported scuffle.”
He is now calling on the Guyana Police Force, Immigration Department and Ministry of Health to establish what happened.
Duncan wants the authorities to say whether anyone was injured or detained, whether an investigation has been launched and what security measures were in place when the exercise began.
The Immigration Support Services falls under the Ministry of Home Affairs, while the registration is reportedly being conducted at a Ministry of Health facility. The involvement of multiple government agencies makes an official explanation even more important.
WHAT EXACTLY ARE CUBANS BEING REGISTERED FOR?
Perhaps the most significant question concerns the purpose of the exercise.
Duncan said he sought to speak directly with the senior police officer at the compound and was told that the Cuban nationals were being registered to “seek medical” treatment in Guyana.
That explanation appears to conflict with rumours circulating about the purpose of the exercise, including claims that Cubans were being processed for work permits, national identification or Electronic ID cards.
Duncan said the government must now eliminate the uncertainty.
“The Government must now explain precisely what ‘seek medical’ means, identify the programme involved, state who qualifies, clarify whether persons are being registered to access public healthcare, and disclose what documents and personal information are being collected, by whom, and for what purpose.”
The questions arise amid changes to Guyana’s arrangements with Cuban medical personnel. Recent reports have indicated that Cuban medical workers have been registering with the Ministry of Health following the conclusion of the previous government-to-government medical cooperation arrangement, with the government seeking to facilitate their continued participation in Guyana’s healthcare system.
But Duncan’s concerns extend beyond the Cuban nationals themselves.
“MY CONCERN IS NOT HOSTILITY TOWARDS CUBAN… NATIONALS”
The APNU parliamentarian said his objection is not to the presence of Cuban nationals or their access to lawful opportunities and services.
“My concern is not hostility towards Cuban or other foreign nationals. People are entitled to migrate, pursue lawful opportunities, and access services for which they are eligible, and they must be treated with dignity.”
His criticism is directed at what he describes as the government’s failure to communicate with the public.
“My concern is the Government’s silence, which has created the conditions for street rumours, contradictory explanations, disorder and now a reported assault.”
The government has yet to provide a comprehensive public explanation of the registration operation, including its precise legal basis and the agencies responsible for administering it.
DEMAND FOR IMMEDIATE ANSWERS
Duncan is calling on Health Minister Dr. Frank Anthony and Home Affairs Minister Oneidge Walrond to publicly account for the exercise.
He wants the ministers to disclose its legal authority, purpose, eligibility requirements, daily capacity, total number of registrants and participating agencies, along with details of the information and documentation being collected.
He also wants an official account of the reported confrontation involving the immigration officer.
The demand comes as the large crowds, appointment system and heavy police presence indicate an operation of considerable scale.
“Guyana’s immigration processes, healthcare system and national identity records cannot be administered through secrecy and rumour.”
The alleged assault has therefore added urgency to questions that were already being raised about the Brickdam exercise. The government now faces demands to explain not only what happened on Thursday, but what the exercise is, who authorised it, how many people are involved and why the public was left to piece together its purpose from rumours and informal explanations.
