First group of US third-country nationals arrives in Jamaica

The first group of third-country nationals (TCNs) from the United States arrived in Jamaica on Tuesday, as the Government defended its agreement to facilitate their transit through the island and the Opposition People’s National Party (PNP) renewed calls for the full terms of the arrangement to be made public.

The group arrived at Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston and is being processed for 90-day landing status under the agreement between the Jamaican and US 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. Jamaica’s role will be limited to receiving the individuals and transporting them to the IOM, the Government said.

The arrival follows an announcement on Monday by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade and the Ministry of National Security and Peace that the first flight was expected shortly. The ministries said the two governments had finalised operating procedures governing the arrangement, including safeguards and parameters intended to ensure its implementation in a safe, orderly and lawful manner. The IOM had also agreed to provide support services.

Under the arrangement, no more than 25 TCNs will be permitted to transit through Jamaica every two weeks. The memorandum of understanding also provides for the suspension of the programme if 10 individuals apply for asylum in Jamaica or seek to remain in the country through other humanitarian processes.

The Government has defended the agreement amid questions raised by Opposition Spokesperson on National Security Fitz Jackson, saying safeguards were negotiated with Jamaica’s interests and the welfare of its people in mind.

“We have made every effort to negotiate this transit agreement with protection of Jamaica and the Jamaican people in mind — also in accordance with the principles of safe and orderly migration, consistent with domestic and international law,” the Government said.

Foreign Affairs Minister Kamina Johnson Smith has maintained that Jamaica will not permit TCNs with criminal antecedents to enter under the programme. The Government noted that some other countries had agreed to receive individuals with criminal backgrounds, but said Jamaica would not do so.

Johnson Smith has also said the arrangement would not be funded by the Jamaican Government. The IOM will provide care and accommodation while facilitating the individuals’ onward movement, with the aim of returning them to their countries of origin or transferring them to other receiving countries.

The Government has also addressed questions about why the agreement has not been published, explaining that the United States had not agreed to its release. It said the lack of public disclosure was not due to anything prejudicial in the arrangement.

However, the arrival of the first group has intensified the PNP’s calls for the agreement to be tabled in Parliament.

In a statement on Tuesday, the Opposition 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.

Jackson said the Government was asking Jamaicans to accept the arrangement without providing sufficient details about how it would be implemented.

He 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 is also seeking clarity on Jamaica’s potential legal liabilities, how cases would be handled if receiving countries refused to accept the individuals, and how security, health and logistical support would 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. However, it argued that the arrangement should not be implemented without parliamentary scrutiny.

The Government, meanwhile, has reiterated that the agreement includes safeguards intended to protect Jamaica and that the IOM will be responsible for the individuals while they are in the country. It has pledged to continue working with the United States and the IOM to ensure the arrangement is properly managed and complies with domestic and international law.