Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness has issued a stern warning to Jamaicans in the diaspora who are scheduled for deportation from the United States, making it clear that those returning to engage in criminal activity will face severe consequences.
“For those Jamaicans who intend to come back with crime and violence to undermine what we have been building here, let me be clear to you that this is not the Jamaica that you left 10 or 20 years ago. It is not the JCF [Jamaica Constabulary Force] that you left 10 or 20 years ago. You will either meet a judge or your maker if you come back to Jamaica and violate our laws and create havoc,” he said on Friday.
His comments come amid concerns about deportations of undocumented Jamaicans from the U.S. Jamaica’s Ambassador to the United States, Audrey Marks, has revealed a growing trend of undocumented nationals proactively reaching out to the embassy to voluntarily return home rather than face deportation.
Speaking at the Let’s Connect Diaspora Town Hall meeting, Marks clarified that while there has been no major spike in deportations under the Trump administration, more Jamaicans are choosing to return home on their own terms.
“Some people do not want the indignity of being deported, so where they are out of status, they are reaching out to take steps to return to Jamaica,” she explained. “There are persons voluntarily saying that they want to return home.”
The Trump administration has intensified efforts to identify and remove undocumented immigrants. According to ICE data, over 5,000 Jamaicans are among the 1.4 million noncitizens in the U.S. who have been ordered deported.
Jamaica’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Senator Kamina Johnson Smith, acknowledged that deportees fall into different categories. While some have been convicted of violent crimes, others have committed only immigration infractions and have otherwise been law-abiding, employed residents.
Holness also addressed concerns about returning Jamaicans attempting to set up criminal operations, such as gangs or lottery scamming.
“We will not tolerate that,” he warned.
However, he encouraged those with good intentions to reintegrate into society and contribute to the country’s progress.
“Come back with a good heart and a good mind, come back willing to work, come back with your resources, you will be able to make life here,” he promised.
The Prime Minister further stated that the government is already implementing enhanced security measures to monitor deportees with a criminal past or those convicted in the United States. “We will ensure they are appropriately monitored here,” he assured.
On Thursday, over 50 Jamaicans returned to the island from the United States on a deportation flight. Minister Johnson Smith said the flight was part of a monthly arrangement with the U.S.
