Jamaica prepares for first batch of third-country deportees from the United States
The foreign and security ministries say up to 25 non-nationals will arrive every two weeks under a transit arrangement that Jamaica will not fund.
KINGSTON, Jamaica. Jamaica's government is preparing the island for the first batch of non-national deportees being sent by the Trump administration, with the foreign and security ministries telling citizens to expect up to 25 arrivals every two weeks.
In a joint statement issued late on October 12, the two ministries said all arrangements between Jamaica and the United States on the so-called third-country non-national deportation system had been finalised, and that the first group could arrive as soon as this week.
Jamaica is the latest Caribbean Community (CARICOM) member to be targeted by Washington. Belize, St Lucia, Dominica, Guyana and St Kitts have confirmed receiving non-national deportees so far this year.
Antigua wants funding first
Antigua and Barbuda's Prime Minister Gaston Browne said this week that while his cabinet would likely give way to sustained pressure from Washington to accept deportees who are not local people, none would set foot in the country until funding and other issues were resolved.
"My understanding is that some countries may have accepted individuals before making arrangements and may not have gotten the support funding," he said on his weekend radio programme. "We want to make sure that we don't make that mistake."
He said the US side had asked Antigua to negotiate compensation in a separate agreement rather than include it in the main deal.
St Vincent and the Grenadines, which has had its own problems with gun crime, says it wants nothing to do with the third-country deportation system.
A transit arrangement
The Jamaican ministries sought to assure islanders that the arrangements are not permanent.
"The government reiterates that this is a transit arrangement intended to facilitate the return of third-country nationals to their countries of origin or other receiving countries," the statement said.
It said the International Organization for Migration (IOM) had been formally engaged to assist the individuals while in Jamaica and to facilitate their onward movement. Authorities had also finalised operating procedures, including safeguards intended to ensure the arrangement is carried out in a safe, orderly and lawful manner.
According to the statement, the arrangement will not be funded by the government of Jamaica, and no third-country national with criminal antecedents will be allowed to transit through the island under the programme. It put the maximum number of people at 25 per fortnight.
