US law enforcement agents detain senior Guyana Police officer at JFK airport

Last Updated on Thursday, 28 March 2024, 18:40 by Denis Chabrol

Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo on Thursday confirmed that Head of the Guyana Police Force’s Major Crimes Unit, Superintendent Mitchell Caesar was detained by United States law enforcement agents at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport.

“From what I gather, a report was made to the superior officer or the senior officer of that policeman so that will engage the leadership of the police force and that’s where the matter will be dealt with,” he told a news conference.

A police force spokesman earlier Thursday, when questioned about Mr Caesar’s encounter with the United States law enforcement agents,  said, “what I can confirm is that Mr Caesar is currently on vacation leave in the US.”

Asked whether the Guyana government was aware what the US agents asked Mr Caesar about, Mr Jagdeo said “personally, I did not seek to find out what it related to because that should be dealt with by the police force.” He noted that, as a matter of US policy, the authorities there do not share immigration-related information with the government.

The Vice President sought to assure Guyanese that anyone, including members of the police force, would face stiff legal action if concrete information is available that they were involved in criminality. “If there is any criminality on the part of anyone in government, then once the information is shared with us formally by the US government, there will be action taken against people,” he said

In April, 2023, then Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Mae Toussaint Jr. Thomas-Meerabux had her US visa revoked at the Miami International Airport as she was transiting to China. She was forced to return to Guyana via the United Kingdom.

The US-nominated member of the United Nations Human Rights Committee recently questioned Guyana about corruption including whether it had investigated why Ms Thomas-Meerabux’s visa was revoked.