MP Jess urges immediate action for courts, slams TCN migrant agreement

Member of Parliament for St. Elizabeth North East, Zuleika Jess, has strongly criticized the government's handling of the justice system and its recent agreement to accept third-country nationals from the United States. During her maiden address in Parliament, Jess highlighted the dire state of courts in her parish, noting the absence of functional facilities in Savanna-la-Mar and Black River.

“

We don’t have a court in Savanna-la-Mar, the parish court mash up, we don’t have a court in Black River and yet they go around and boast that they are doing all things great but nobody on the ground can feel it.

Jess accused the government of boasting about achievements while residents lack basic access to justice. She questioned the administration's priorities, particularly in light of the agreement to receive individuals from the U.S. "Look at the state of Jamaica with prisons already overflowing, overcrowded, filled to the brim to capacity, we are battling crime and violence, and yet we sat in Parliament just a few days ago, and we hear the minister say that Jamaica has agreed to accept the rejects from the United States of America," she stated.

“

Look at the state of Jamaica with prisons already overflowing, overcrowded, filled to the brim to capacity, we are battling crime and violence, and yet we sat in Parliament just a few days ago, and we hear the minister say that Jamaica has agreed to accept the rejects from the United States of America.

She warned that the agreement compromises Jamaica's safety, asserting, "Jamaica is not a dumping ground." Minister of National Security Dr. Horace Chang has assured that those with criminal antecedents will be excluded from the program, which he said would involve no more than 25 people at a time. However, Jess maintained that the country deserves better and should not be used as a receptacle for others' issues.

“

Jamaica is not a dumping ground.