Only one of 22 TCNs returned to homeland

Only one of the 22 third-country nationals (TCNs) who arrived in Jamaica from the United States more than two weeks ago has been returned to their homeland, while another has expressed a desire to remain in Jamaica.

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Senator Kamina Johnson Smith made the disclosure at a press conference at Jamaica House on Tuesday.

She said discussions were under way with the individual seeking to remain in Jamaica to remind them that the arrangement is intended to facilitate transit, rather than permanent settlement.

Johnson Smith said the deportees were being assisted with their return through the assisted voluntary return programme operated by the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

The first group of TCNs arrived at the Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston on October 13 under an agreement between the Jamaican and United States governments. They were granted 90-day landing status, allowing them to remain in Jamaica temporarily while arrangements are made for their onward travel.

The first group comprised 22 people, 15 men and seven women, from Ecuador and a European country. No children were among the arrivals.

Under the arrangement, Jamaica is expected to receive no more than 25 third-country nationals every two weeks. The programme is also to be suspended if 10 or more individuals seek to remain in Jamaica through asylum applications or other humanitarian processes.

The agreement has drawn public attention because the individuals are not Jamaican nationals but people being removed from the United States to a country other than their own.

The Jamaican Government has said the International Organization for Migration is providing assistance with accommodation and onward travel, while the arrangement allows the individuals to pursue any available immigration or humanitarian options.

The latest disclosure comes as questions remain about how quickly the group will leave Jamaica and whether any of the individuals will seek to remain in the country.

- Sashana Small

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