Jamaica’s decision to receive 22 foreign nationals deported from the United States under a third-country migration arrangement has prompted renewed calls for transparency, with a University of the West Indies lecturer warning that the Government must carefully assess the potential legal and moral consequences.
The group, comprising 15 men and seven women from Ecuador and a European country, arrived at Norman Manley International Airport on Tuesday, October 13. Their arrival marked the first implementation of the controversial arrangement between Jamaica and the United States, which allows certain non-Jamaican nationals to pass through the island before returning to their home countries or travelling elsewhere.
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Damion Gordon, a lecturer in the Department of Government at The University of the West Indies, Mona, urged the Government to disclose more information about the agreement and clarify Jamaica’s responsibilities.
“I would urge the Jamaican Government to provide greater transparency about the agreement and carefully examine the extent of our responsibilities to ensure that Jamaica is not exposed to any present or future legal liabilities,” Gordon told reporters. He added that the arrangement also carried moral implications.
National Security and Peace Minister Dr Horace Chang confirmed that the group had been processed by Jamaican authorities and granted 90-day landing status. Five members of the group speak English, and no children were among those who arrived.
One individual was rejected by Jamaica, while two others were withdrawn from the group before the transfer was completed. The 22 individuals were subsequently handed over to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), which is responsible for their care and arrangements for their onward movement.
Chang said the migrants were medically screened and subjected to security checks, including checks through Interpol. The Government has maintained that individuals with criminal backgrounds will not be accepted under the programme.
According to the minister, the group is expected to return to their home countries within 14 days. He also indicated that another group could arrive in approximately two weeks.
The arrangement provides for no more than 25 third-country nationals to arrive every two weeks. It also stipulates that the programme will be suspended if 10 or more individuals seek to remain in Jamaica through asylum applications or other humanitarian processes.
The Government has said the IOM agreed to provide the necessary services after reviewing the operating procedures. However, the short notice surrounding the first group’s arrival and the Government’s decision not to release the full memorandum of understanding have fuelled public concern.
Gordon warned that Jamaica must ensure the agreement’s safeguards are strictly followed, particularly those relating to the number of arrivals, the exclusion of individuals with criminal backgrounds and the handling of asylum applications. He also questioned what would happen if some of the migrants could not leave Jamaica within the agreed timeframe.
The concerns come amid ongoing legal challenges in the United States over third-country deportations. Critics have raised questions about due process and whether migrants could be sent to countries where they face persecution or other serious harm. Although lower US courts ruled against aspects of the policy, the US Supreme Court temporarily allowed the deportations to proceed while the wider legal dispute continues.
The Jamaican Government has defended the arrangement as a temporary transit programme and said the United States will cover the associated costs through the international organisation involved. Officials have also maintained that the agreement is intended to operate within Jamaican law and applicable international obligations.
Nevertheless, the arrival of the first group has intensified calls for the Government to explain the agreement’s legal protections, accountability measures and provisions for individuals who cannot return to their countries as planned.
