KINGSTON – Jamaicans residing illegally in the United States are seeking to return home even as the government said no national has arrived here under the President Donald Trump’s mass deportation programme.
“There has been no increase in deportations to Jamaica because of the Trump immigration policy. There is no big influx of deportees to Jamaica,” said the island’s Ambassador to the United States, Audrey Marks.
But she acknowledged that there has been an increase in the number of Jamaicans in the United States who are out of status and have been reaching out to the embassy seeking to return home.
“Some people do not want the indignity of being deported, so when they are out of status, they are reaching out to take steps to return to Jamaica,” said the Ambassador, who was addressing the “Let’s Connect Diaspora” Town Hall meeting in the US on Thursday night.
Foreign Minister Kamina Johnson Smith has downplayed newspaper reports on Thursday that more than 50 nationals had arrived here under the Trump deportation programme, saying Thursday’s flight was a continuation of “the regular monthly arrangements previously in train”.
She said the flight was the first for 2025.
Jamaica media have reported that as many as 5 120 Jamaicans with questionable antecedents are targeted for removal in raids by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Foreign Affairs Minister said that the Andrew Holness government is acutely aware of concerns among Jamaicans regarding the deportation exercise.
“We recognise that these concerns have been heightened by misinformation circulating on social media, including exaggerated claims suggesting that tens of thousands of Jamaicans are set to be deported immediately and simultaneously. These assertions are categorically false.
“While new immigration enforcement measures will result in an increased number of Jamaicans being repatriated, there are several processes involved. The Government of Jamaica is actively monitoring the situation and will continue our historically close engagement with US authorities.
“We also wish to make clear that Jamaica, like most, if not all, countries, has international obligations requiring us to accept the return of our citizens who are subject to deportation. As a responsible member of the international community and a respectful bilateral partner, we have always honoured these obligations, with appropriate attention to due process and human rights, as do other nations regarding the repatriation of foreign nationals who have violated our laws in Jamaica,” Johnson Smith said in a statement.
She said that it is important for the public to understand that people subject to deportation fall into different categories, including some convicted of very serious criminal offences, including violent crimes, while others may have breached immigration laws but have otherwise been law-abiding residents engaged in productive employment.
But she said the government, from a citizen security perspective, is particularly concerned about the potential impact of the anticipated increased return of individuals with serious criminal backgrounds.
“The National Security Council is, therefore, rigorously assessing associated risks and is actively engaged in formulating strategies to mitigate potential threats to public safety,” Johnson Smith said, adding that the security of all Jamaicans remains the Government’s highest priority.
Meanwhile, Marks, said there are Jamaicans who are “voluntarily saying that they want to return home”.
But she added that there is a rigorous process to ensure that the people who are returned to Jamaica by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials are indeed Jamaicans.
“There are people who pretend to be Jamaicans, some go to the extent of getting Jamaican passports, and so we have to make sure that they are really Jamaicans,” she said.
To ensure that this is the case, ICE officers have to present to the embassy an authentic identification, and persons are then thoroughly screened before being given landing documents to Jamaica. (CMC)
