First group of US third-country nationals now in Jamaica

The first group of third-country nationals from the United States is now in Jamaica, following their arrival at the Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston on Tuesday.

The group is being processed and is expected to be granted 90-day landing status under an agreement between the Jamaican and United States governments.

The individuals will be housed by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), which is responsible for their care, accommodation and onward movement to their countries of origin or other receiving countries.

The Jamaican Government announced on Monday that the arrival of the first group was imminent, following the finalisation of operating procedures and the IOM’s agreement to provide support services.

Under the arrangement, no more than 25 third-country nationals (TCNs) are expected to arrive in Jamaica every two weeks. The programme is also to be suspended if 10 of the individuals apply to remain in Jamaica through asylum applications or other humanitarian processes.

Foreign Affairs Minister Kamina Johnson Smith has maintained that the agreement contains safeguards to protect Jamaica’s interests and that no third-country national with criminal antecedents will be permitted to enter under the programme.

She said the Government negotiated the arrangement in keeping with the principles of safe and orderly migration and in accordance with domestic and international law.

Johnson Smith also reiterated that the Government could not make the memorandum of understanding public because the United States had not agreed to its release.

However, the arrival of the first group has renewed calls from the Opposition People’s National Party (PNP) for the full agreement to be tabled in Parliament.

In a statement on Tuesday, the PNP described the Government’s handling of the arrangement as unacceptable, arguing that Jamaicans should be able to examine the terms of an agreement with implications for national security, the country’s international obligations and its reputation.

Opposition Spokesperson on National Security Fitz Jackson said the Government was asking Jamaicans to accept an arrangement without providing sufficient details about its implementation.

Jackson said Parliament should be informed about where the individuals would be housed, the security arrangements governing their stay and who would be responsible for monitoring them.

The Opposition also wants clarity on Jamaica’s potential legal liabilities, the handling of cases in which receiving countries refuse to accept the individuals, and how security, health and logistical support will be managed.

Opposition Spokesperson on Foreign, Regional and Diaspora Affairs Donna Scott-Mottley said the public deserved full transparency on an agreement of such significance.

The PNP said it supports safe and orderly migration and values Jamaica’s partnership with the United States, but argued that the arrangement should not be implemented without parliamentary scrutiny.

The Government, meanwhile, has maintained that Jamaica will not bear the cost of the programme and that the IOM will provide the necessary assistance to the individuals while they are in the island.

It has also pledged to continue working with the United States and the IOM to ensure the arrangement is properly managed and consistent with the law.

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