Jamaica prepares to receive third country nationals

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.

The ministries of National Security and Peace, and Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, yesterday said the arrivals will form part of a transit arrangement established under a Memorandum of Understanding between the two countries.

However, several key details remain unknown. Officials have not disclosed the exact arrival date, the destinations to which they will eventually be transferred, or where they will be accommodated during their stay in Jamaica.

The Government’s latest update comes months after details of the arrangement first entered the public domain through a Gleaner report, which revealed the existence of the agreement between Jamaica and the United States.

The Government yesterday reiterated that no third-country national with a criminal record will be permitted to transit through Jamaica under the programme. Additionally, officials said arrivals will be capped at 25 persons every two weeks and noted that the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) contains a safeguard allowing the arrangement to be suspended if 10 third-country nationals apply to remain in Jamaica through asylum claims or other humanitarian processes.

The MoU has, however, not been made public.