Jamaica to begin talks with US on accepting third-country deportees
A draft document seen by The Gleaner suggests Jamaica could be asked to take up to 25 non-nationals every two weeks.
KINGSTON, Jamaica. Jamaica is preparing to begin talks with the United States on accepting non-national deportees, joining a list of Caribbean Community states that have come under American pressure to do so.
A formal document has been prepared and the two sides will shortly begin talks, according to reports from Kingston. The discussions fall under the so-called third country agreement, which a few other CARICOM members have signed or are negotiating at an advanced stage, officials say.
The proposed terms
The Gleaner reported on Tuesday that it had seen an official document under consideration. It suggests that Jamaica, with a population of nearly three million, could be asked to accept up to 25 non-national deportees every two weeks, the largest per-country figure made public so far among CARICOM nations, officials say. Some smaller island states had discussed a maximum of 10 a month.
“The government of the United States of America intends to propose to the government of Jamaica to transfer to Jamaica up to 25 individuals every two weeks,” the document states. It says the US would pause transfers if 10 or more of those transferred remained in Jamaica for more than 30 days. Local authorities can decide to increase the figure at any time.
As with other memorandums, the receiving country would get biographical information, medical records and criminal backgrounds. It is not clear whether the US or Jamaica would bear the costs of boarding and lodging.
Regional positions differ
The Bahamas had previously ruled itself out. “The Bahamas simply does not have the resources to accommodate such a request,” Prime Minister Phillip Davis said as the Trump administration prepared to take office early last year.
Antigua has demanded that the US cover costs and opposes taking anyone with a felony record or links to terror groups. Guyana, with its booming oil and gas economy, has said it is keen to accept non-nationals with engineering and other professional skills.
“At one point I was told that they had asked us to accept as many as 120 individuals and there was no guaranteed assistance, no guaranteed due diligence. And I said to them that that is totally unacceptable,” Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne said recently.
