Jamaica denies plans to accept 10,000 US deportees, confirms limited TCN talks

Jamaica's Minister of National Security and Peace, Dr. Horace Chang, has firmly rejected reports suggesting the country is in discussions to accept as many as 10,000 deportees from the United States. The minister, who also serves as deputy prime minister, stated unequivocally that such claims are false and that there are no intentions to bring a large number of individuals to the island.

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First, the report is false. There are no intentions to bring 10,000 illegal immigrants from the United States.

Dr. Chang confirmed that discussions are indeed underway for Jamaica to participate in a Third-Country Nationals (TCN) agreement. However, he clarified that this initiative is significantly different from the reports, involving a strictly limited number of individuals. "The numbers involved will be under 50 per fortnight, and they are designed with United Nation International Organization for Migration [which] is working with the country. So they will be sent on to their own country," he explained during the 11th Biennial Jamaica Diaspora Conference.

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The numbers involved will be under 50 per fortnight, and they are designed with United Nation International Organization for Migration [which] is working with the country. So they will be sent on to their own country.

The minister's remarks were in response to concerns raised by conference participants, including Clive Saunders, who sought clarification following a local report. The fears centered on the potential arrival of individuals convicted of crimes in the U.S. who are not Jamaican citizens. Dr. Chang emphasized that the current arrangement under consideration pertains to the temporary processing of individuals within a broader regional framework, involving several Caribbean nations.

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What we are discussing, and what I have agreed to, is this whole question of third country nationals that may have to transition to Jamaica.

Under the proposed agreement, individuals entering the United States illegally and seeking asylum would be sent to a third country, such as Jamaica, for temporary processing before being repatriated to their home countries. Dr. Chang stressed that the numbers would be minimal and tightly managed, with safeguards in place. He noted that the memorandum of understanding includes a provision that if any individuals choose to stay in Jamaica and apply for asylum, the program would cease, ensuring that no more than 25 people would be in Jamaica at any one time.

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They have negotiated [with] a number of countries in the Caribbean: Costa Rica, Panama, Belize, St Kitts, Antigua, and others. And the essence is that those who are going into United States as illegal immigrants, before they stay there to appeal for asylum, they send them to a third country where they’ll be sent on to their own home country afterwards.