Jamaica’s first flight carrying third-country nationals from the United States brought 22 adults to Kingston. The arrivals received 90-day landing permission and left the airport under police escort. Minister Horace Chang said the International Organization for Migration would handle their care and onward travel, while a university researcher called for clarity over Jamaica’s legal responsibilities.
Jamaica received its first group of third-country nationals transferred from the United States on 13 October. The initial batch consisted of 22 people, beginning the island’s role in the transfer arrangement.[1], [2]
At Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston, Jamaica’s capital, the adults were processed and granted 90-day landing permission. They then left on a bus under police escort for an undisclosed location.[1]
National Security and Peace Minister Horace Chang said the group included 7 women and 15 men, with no children. They were nationals of Ecuador and one European country. Jamaica had refused one proposed transferee, while two others were withdrawn. Chang assigned responsibility for care, accommodation and onward movement to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the international migration agency. He expected the arrivals to return home within 14 days.[1]
Chang said the programme would stop if 10 people sought asylum and another group was expected in two weeks. Medical screening and Interpol security checks had been conducted, he said. Proposed procedures seen by The Gleaner envisage a US passenger list 72 hours before removal and Jamaica’s response within 36 hours. Damion Gordon, a political scientist at the University of the West Indies, sought greater transparency on legal liabilities and what happens if people cannot leave on time.[1]
