The Jamaican government will remove visa-free transit for Cubans.
Presently Cubans are allowed to transit through Jamaica for up to three days.
In a notice to the public, the Ministry of National Security said the allowance will be discontinued effective March 13.
All other visa requirements for Cubans entering Jamaica remain the same.
The Ministry did not explain the reason for the move.
The government is seeking to curb an influx of Cubans who appear to be using Jamaica as a transit point to Central America in an attempt to illegally gain entry into the United States.
Minister of National Security Dr Horace Chang said he was aware of the challenge with Cubans.
In a statement, Chang stated Jamaica is being used by Cuban travelers as part of efforts to get to Central America.
The United States has complained about an influx of Cuban travelers who have been making their way to the US-Mexico border.
The security minister stated that over the last three years, and in particular, over the last year, there have been significant breaches of the visa-free transit arrangement by Cubans.
For the period July 2022 to December 2022, tens of thousands of Cubans transited Jamaican ports en route to Central America and did not return, Chang pointed out.
“We cannot allow Jamaica to be used as an illegal transit point, whether perceived or detected, for people nor contraband.”
Chang said Jamaica continues to enjoy a positive relationship with the Government and the people of Cuba.
The Biden administration announced it was limiting migrants from Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela and Haiti who enter the US to 30,0000 each month under humanitarian parole, while expelling those who attempt to cross the south western border.
Biden said migrants from those countries, among tens of thousands of others who endeavor monthly to cross the border, will be expeditiously returned to Mexico instead.
