Guyana Deportee Agreement With the United States Runs Two Years and Is Worth US$7.8 Million
GUYANA · MIGRATION
Key Facts
- —The country. Guyana is an English-speaking country of about 840,000 people on the north-east coast of South America. President Irfaan Ali has governed since August 2020 and began a second term in September 2025.
- —The money. The currency is the Guyanese dollar, near 209.7 to the US dollar. The United States is providing US$7.8 million over two years, channelled through the International Organisation for Migration.
- —The background. The agreement covers third-country nationals. These are people deported by the United States who are citizens of neither the United States nor Guyana.
- —The news. On 23 September 2026, United States Ambassador Nicole Theriot confirmed that the agreement runs for two years. One flight a month is planned.
- —What is new or disputed. Six deportees have arrived so far, described as Cubans and Afghans. Guyana rejected most of the names on the most recent flight list.
- —What it means for you. The numbers are small for now. Guyana checks every name against Caribbean Community criminal databases and may refuse anyone.
- —The caveat. The text of the agreement has not been published. Former President Donald Ramotar has demanded its release.
The Guyana deportee agreement with the United States runs for two years, carries US$7.8 million, and has brought six people so far.
A two-year term, confirmed by the United States ambassador
Guyana’s agreement to receive deportees from the United States runs for two years. Nicole Theriot, the United States Ambassador to Guyana, confirmed that term on 23 September 2026. The duration had not been stated publicly before.
The agreement covers third-country nationals. These are people whom the United States deports and who are citizens of neither the United States nor Guyana. They are sent to a country that agrees to receive them.
The United States is providing US$7.8 million over the two years. The money runs through the International Organisation for Migration, the United Nations migration agency. It pays for housing, healthcare, job training, food, medical services and contact with families.
The Rio Times has already reported the funding and the calls for transparency. The new elements are the two-year term, the arrivals so far, the monthly flight plan and Guyana’s power to say no.
The detail released on 23 September 2026 came from the United States side. Ambassador Theriot gave the term, the funding route and the arrival count. Guyana’s government has confirmed less of it in public.
Who can be sent, and who decides
The agreement is limited to people described as skilled and non-criminal. Theriot said Guyana has ruled out anyone with a criminal record. She called that position “absolutely appropriate and within their rights”.
Guyana keeps the right to reject individuals. Names are listed on a manifest, which is the passenger list for a flight. Guyana reviews that list before it agrees to the flight.
The checks run against criminal databases held by the Caribbean Community, the regional bloc known as CARICOM. Guyana also uses its own intelligence services. Only after those checks does it approve a manifest.
That veto is the part most easily lost in summary. Guyana is not obliged to accept a list as it arrives. On the most recent manifest, it rejected most of the names.
The funding is tied to that same narrow scope. Housing, healthcare, job training, food, medical services and family contact are the listed uses. The International Organisation for Migration administers them, not the Guyanese state.
Six arrivals so far, and one flight a month
Six deportees have arrived under the agreement. They were described as Cubans and Afghans. They landed about three weeks before 23 September 2026.
The planned pace is one flight a month. At that rate the totals stay small for the moment. No ceiling on the total number of people has been made public.
Several figures simply do not exist in the public record. There is no published breakdown of the US$7.8 million by year or by service. There is no running total of how many names Guyana has rejected.
There is also no published estimate of how many people the agreement could cover over two years. The six arrivals are the only count on the record. Everything beyond that is projection.
Six arrivals in about a month sit alongside a plan for one flight each month. Whether later flights will carry more people is not stated anywhere in the public record.
The text is still unpublished
The agreement itself has not been released. Opposition politicians and civil society groups have asked for it. Donald Ramotar, a former President of Guyana, has demanded that the text be made public.
Without the text, important terms stay unverifiable. The definition of “skilled” is not public. Nor are the conditions under which Guyana could end the arrangement early.
For residents and employers in Guyana, the practical scale is small so far. Six people have arrived over roughly a month. Any effect on housing, wages or public services depends on whether monthly flights continue for the full two years.
The measurable test is publication. Until the government releases the text and regular arrival figures, the public account rests on statements from the United States Embassy. Those statements have been detailed, but they are one side of a two-party agreement.
Opposition politicians and civil society groups have pressed the transparency point rather than the arrival numbers. Six people are a small matter for any country. An agreement nobody outside government has read is a longer-running one.
Sources
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a third-country national in this agreement?
It is someone the United States deports who is a citizen of neither the United States nor Guyana. Guyana agrees to receive certain such people. The six who have arrived were described as Cubans and Afghans.
Can Guyana refuse people?
Yes. It checks each name on the flight list against Caribbean Community criminal databases and its own intelligence. On the most recent list it rejected most of the names.
How much money is involved, and who handles it?
The United States is providing US$7.8 million over two years. The International Organisation for Migration administers it. It covers housing, healthcare, job training, food, medical services and family contact.
Why do critics want the agreement published?
Because the text has never been released. Without it, the meaning of “skilled”, the exit conditions and the possible total number of arrivals cannot be checked. Former President Donald Ramotar has called for publication.
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