(CMR) Two Cuban men who escaped from the Cayman Islands CBC detention center last week were sentenced to nine months in prison for escaping lawful custody when they appeared in Summary Court on Tuesday. Chief Magistrate Angelyn Hernandez also ordered that the men be deported after serving time.
Adrian Vargas Hernandez and Vladimir Fuentes Milanes, who arrived in Cayman only a month ago, both pleaded guilty, explaining that they left the facility in search of work to send back money to their families in Cuba.
The men also said they were hot in the facility, and they just walked out the front gate, which was opened.
Reports are that CBC was told that the men left the facility after 3 p.m. on June 6. CBC officers were alerted around 7:44 p.m. that same day that the men were seen on Agnes Way. When the officers got there, one of the men was arrested, while the other was seen leaving in a blue car. He was later arrested in Red Bay.
The court heard that the men were desperate to get work to support their families in Cuba. Hernandez's lawyer told the court that he has two children in Cuba, and they have problems even getting food. Hernandez, who has a bachelor's degree and worked in education, left the communist nation by boat because of desperation. Hernandez told the court he was applying for political asylum.
However, the Chief Magistrate pointed out that their freedom was curtailed when they arrived in the Cayman Islands illegally; it did not give them the right to look for jobs.
“When you are in custody, it means you have no freedom to go out and about, and this happens way too often. I cannot understand why it is a belief that they can just go walkabout,” Chief Magistrate Hernandez stated.
She described their actions as a “blatant breach” and said there is nothing that excuses their behavior.
Magistrate Hernandez said the maximum penalty for escaping lawful custody is four years; however, she considered a reduction for their early guilty pleas and sentenced them to nine months in prison. She also made a deportation order.
Chief Magistrate Hernadez also called for an investigation into “the blue car” that assisted one of the men in leaving when CBC officers went to Agnes Way.
Both Vargas Hernandez and Vladimir Fuentes Milanes, who attended court via Zoom, could be seen wiping tears from their eyes after hearing the sentence.
They have seven days to appeal the sentence.