Jamaica to receive first third-country nationals under US transit arrangement amid calls for disclosure

KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Government has defended its agreement with the United States (US) to facilitate the transit of third-country nationals (TCNs) through Jamaica, saying safeguards have been negotiated to protect the country and its people, including a provision to suspend the arrangement if 10 individuals seek to remain on humanitarian grounds. The Government said the International Organization for Migration (IOM) would be fully responsible for the care, accommodation and return of the individuals, while Jamaica’s role would be limited to receiving them and transporting them to the IOM. READ: First flight with third country nationals to arrive in Jamaica ‘shortly,’ Gov’t says “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. The statement comes amid questions raised by Member of Parliament Fitz Jackson about the arrangement, which the Government said had been addressed. The Government reiterated that, unlike some countries which have agreed to receive individuals with criminal backgrounds, Jamaica would not permit TCNs with criminal antecedents to transit through the programme. It also explained that while some countries have made their agreements public, the United States had not agreed to the publication of Jamaica’s agreement, adding that this was not due to anything prejudicial in the arrangement. Under the agreement, the number of individuals permitted to transit through Jamaica will be capped at 25 per fortnight. The Government and the United States have finalised operating procedures for the arrangement, including safeguards and parameters intended to ensure its implementation in a safe, orderly and lawful manner. The first flight carrying TCNs is expected to arrive in Jamaica shortly. The Government has said the arrangement is intended to facilitate the return of the individuals to their countries of origin or other receiving countries, with the IOM providing assistance and facilitating their onward movement. The arrangement will not be funded by the Jamaican Government, and the memorandum of understanding provides for its suspension if 10 TCNs apply for asylum in Jamaica or seek to remain through other humanitarian processes.

KINGSTON, Jamaica — The People’s National Party (PNP) is renewing its demand for the Government to immediately disclose the full details of the Third Country Nationals (TCN) arrangement with the United States, including the memorandum of understanding (MOU), transfer schedule and security protocols governing the arrival and temporary accommodation of individuals in Jamaica. In a statement on Tuesday, the Opposition said it is unacceptable that the Government has announced the imminent arrival of the first group of third-country nationals without first tabling the agreement in Parliament or providing Jamaicans with a comprehensive account of its terms and implications. “The Government is asking Jamaicans to accept a security arrangement they have not been allowed to see,” said Opposition Spokesperson on National Security, Fitz Jackson. “We have not been told where these individuals will be housed, under what security conditions or who will be responsible for monitoring them. Before a single flight lands, Parliament must see this agreement.” Jackson said the Government must also disclose the operational procedures governing the arrangement, the legal liabilities Jamaica may assume and the contingency measures in place should a receiving country refuse to accept any of the individuals transferred. He further questioned how the costs associated with security, healthcare, accommodation and logistical support would be met, particularly in light of the Government’s assurance that Jamaica would bear no financial responsibility for the arrangement. “The Government must also define what it calls a transit arrangement and provide full details of the persons who will be arriving on a batch-by-batch basis,” the statement added. The Opposition is particularly concerned that, despite confirming that the first flight is expected shortly, the Government has yet to provide critical information about the implementation of the arrangement and its potential implications for national security and affected communities. The PNP maintains that information of this significance should not be communicated through fragmented press releases and statements from various ministries. Opposition Spokesperson on Foreign, Regional and Diaspora Affairs, Senator Donna Scott-Mottley, said the Government’s handling of the matter raises serious concerns about transparency, accountability and Jamaica’s international obligations. “Jamaicans deserve full transparency on an agreement with serious implications for our national security, our international obligations and our reputation as a country that upholds the rule of law. Announcing a cap of 25 persons per fortnight and a suspension trigger of 10 asylum applications, without showing Jamaicans the legal agreement, is not transparency. It is policy by press release, and that is unacceptable on a matter of this magnitude,” she said. The PNP reaffirmed its support for safe, orderly and lawful migration, as well as the importance of maintaining Jamaica’s longstanding partnership with the United States. However, the party maintained that international cooperation cannot come at the expense of transparency, parliamentary oversight or the protection of Jamaica’s national interests. The Opposition is therefore calling on the Government to immediately table the full agreement in Parliament.

THE first batch of third-country nationals (TCNs) should be arriving in the island today, highly placed sources told the Jamaica Observer late Monday evening after the Government signalled the imminent start of the controversial programme agreed between Kingston and Washington. It was not immediately clear what time the flight carrying the TCNs would arrive or the number making up the first batch; however, Observer sources said they are mostly South Americans and the country will be updated at this week’s post-Cabinet press briefing. The Government had previously stated that under the agreement Jamaica would accept no more than 25 per fortnight. A release from the Ministry of National Security and Peace and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade on Monday said that “the first flight transporting third-country nationals under the agreement is expected to arrive in Jamaica shortly”. According to both ministries, the release was issued to provide a further update on the implementation of the memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed earlier this year between Jamaica and the United States. The release also stated that the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has agreed to commence support services. Under the agreement signed in June this year, up to 25 asylum seekers who have unresolved migration cases in the US will temporarily transit through Jamaica en route to their home countries every two weeks. The MOU was inked amidst US efforts to manage regional structured migration. According to National Security Minister Dr Horace Chang, the people covered under the MOU are not being permanently settled in Jamaica and would only remain on the island while arrangements are made for their onward movement. But the programme has attracted flak from various quarters, including the Opposition People’s National Party, which has demanded that the Government table the full MOU in Parliament. In their release on Monday, the national security and foreign ministries reiterated that both Kingston and Washington “had finalised the operating procedures governing the arrangement, including the necessary safeguards and parameters to ensure its implementation in a safe, orderly, and lawful manner”. “The Government reiterates that this is a transit arrangement intended to facilitate the return of third-country nationals to their countries of origin or other receiving countries, with the support of the IOM, which has been formally engaged to provide assistance to the individuals while they are in Jamaica and to facilitate their onward movement,” the release said. The ministries also restated that “the arrangement will not be funded by the Government of Jamaica, that no third-country national with criminal antecedents will be permitted to transit through Jamaica under this programme; and further, that the number of persons anticipated will be a maximum of 25 persons per fortnight”. The ministries also reminded that the MOU provides for its suspension if 10 third country nationals apply to remain in Jamaica through asylum applications or other humanitarian processes. “The Government of Jamaica will continue to work closely with the Government of the United States and the IOM to ensure that the implementation of the programme is appropriately managed in accordance with the principles of safe and orderly migration, and consistent with both domestic and international law,” the release stated, adding that the Government “will continue to keep the public informed of significant developments as the programme progresses”.

Jamaica is expected to receive its first flight carrying up to 25 Third Country Nationals shortly under an agreement with the United States, according to a government update on the programme.

KINGSTON, Jamaica —The first flight of third-country nationals (TCNs) is expected to arrive in Jamaica shortly, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade and the Ministry of National Security and Peace have said. In a joint statement on Monday, both ministries said the government and the United States had finalised operating procedures governing the arrangement, including necessary safeguards and parameters to ensure its implementation in a safe, orderly and lawful manner. "The government reiterates that this is a transit arrangement intended to facilitate the return of Third Country Nationals to their country of origin or other receiving countries, with the support of the IOM (International Organization of Migration), which has been formally engaged to provide assistance to individuals while they are in Jamaica and to facilitate their onward movement," the statement said. The government reiterated that the arrangement will not be funded by the government and that no TCN with criminal antecedents will be permitted to transit through Jamaica under the programme. It said the number of individuals will be a maximum of 25 per fortnight. Further, the government said the memorandum of understanding with the US provides for its suspension if 10 TCNs apply to remain in Jamaica through asylum applications or other humanitarian processes. READ: Jamaica, US finalise operating procedures related to TCNs