Data from the 2022 Economic and Social Survey of Jamaica (ESSJ), published by the Planning Institute of Jamaica has indicated an uptick in the number of Jamaican deportees last year, marking the first increase in five years.
The majority of the individuals were repatriated from the United States (US).
The report reveals that 562 Jamaicans found themselves on home soil in 2022 after deportation, exceeding the 501 deportations observed in 2021.
This rise reverses a previously observed trend of consistent decrease in deportations to Jamaica.
According to reports, in 2017, deportations stood at a high of 1,393, but fell to 1,183 in 2018, and further dwindled to 1,051 in 2019. In 2020, only 653 Jamaicans were deported.
The ESSJ’s findings reveal a male majority among the 2022 deportees, with men comprising 80.3 per cent of the total.
US leads in deportations
A regional breakdown of these figures demonstrates that the US was responsible for the deportation of 328 Jamaicans. Canada, England, and other countries deported 47, 25, and 162 individuals, respectively.
Examining the causes for deportation, the report states that a little over 40 per cent of these Jamaican deportees had either overstayed their permitted duration in the foreign country, entered the country illegally, or were implicated in an illegal re-entry.
Drug possession accounted for an additional 21 per cent of deportations.
Criminal activity and Deportation: A closer look at serious offenses
“However, for the USA, England and Canada it was involvement in criminal activity rather than overstaying, illegal entry or re-entry, at 72.9 per cent, 72 per cent and 55.3 per cent, respectively,” the survey revealed.
The data also showed that the US deported 84 individuals for drug possession, 14 for firearm-related offenses, and 34 for serious crimes like murder, manslaughter, or attempted murder in 2022.
Meanwhile, England’s deportations grew by 8.7 per cent This included five individuals for drug possession, five for sexual offences, and seven due to immigration violations such as overstaying, illegal entry or illegal re-entry.
In a similar vein, 15 individuals were extradited from Jamaica over the course of the year, 13 to the US and two to England.
The reasons for these extraditions varied, ranging from lottery scamming and drug-related offences, to international money laundering and murder.
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