Jamaica and the United States have finalized operating procedures governing an arrangement under which a limited number of third-country nationals removed from the US will temporarily transit through Jamaica before being returned to their home countries.
Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Minister Kamina Johnson Smith said the procedures establish the safeguards and parameters for the memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed by Jamaica and the United States earlier this year. She said the terms were negotiated with Jamaica’s capacity constraints and the principles of safe, orderly and lawful migration in mind.
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Under the finalized arrangements, no more than 25 third-country nationals may enter Jamaica during any two weeks. The government has also negotiated a provision allowing the arrangement to be suspended if 10 individuals apply to remain in Jamaica through asylum or other humanitarian procedures.
Johnson Smith stressed that the individuals will not be permanently resettled in Jamaica. They will be transferred to the care of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), which will provide support while they are on the island and arrange their return to their countries of origin through its Assisted Voluntary Return programme.
The minister also emphasized that no person with criminal antecedents will be accepted under Jamaica’s arrangement. She described the programme as a transit arrangement involving nationals of other countries who entered the United States illegally and are being assisted in returning home.
The programme will not be funded by the Government of Jamaica. The IOM is being funded by the United States for the programme, while the Jamaican Government will receive the individuals and subsequently hand them over to the migration agency. There is currently no date set for the first arrivals, as the IOM is still completing its assessment and coordinating with Jamaica’s immigration, security and other relevant agencies.
Johnson Smith said Jamaica has not agreed to previously reported suggestions that it could receive thousands of third-country nationals. Instead, the government negotiated specific limits intended to address the country’s capacity constraints.
However, the government has confirmed that the MOU itself will not be made public, saying the United States generally does not release such bilateral agreements and has not agreed to disclose this one. Johnson Smith maintained that all relevant and material provisions have been communicated to the Jamaican Government and that the arrangement will operate in accordance with Jamaican domestic law and international law.
The decision has drawn renewed criticism from the parliamentary Opposition, which is demanding that the MOU and the operating procedures be tabled in Parliament. Opposition spokesman on National Security Fitz Jackson said Jamaicans should be allowed to examine the terms of an arrangement that could affect national security, communities and public services.
Jamaica’s participation places it among roughly 30 countries, including several CARICOM members, that have entered similar arrangements with Washington. With the operating procedures now finalized, the next step is for the IOM and Jamaican authorities to complete preparations before the first third-country nationals can be received.
