‘IN GOOD SPIRITS’
Jamaican deported from US to African nation receiving regular medical attention as Gov’t still working to bring him home
Published:Saturday | August 23, 2025 | 12:14 AMLester Hinds/Gleaner Writer
In July Jamaican Orville Etoria was one of five men the United States (US) government sent to the tiny African Kingdom of Eswatini, claiming they were barbaric individuals who needed to be deported from America.
However, Jamaica’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Kamina Johnson Smith has disclosed that the Caribbean island’s government is working to bring its national home.
Yesterday, Johnson Smith revealed that Etoria has been visited by a representative of the Jamaican High Commission in Pretoria, South Africa, accompanied by the Honorary Consul for Jamaica in Eswatini.
The team, who paid him a consular visit on Thursday, said he was “in good spirits”.
Etoria was convicted of a charge of murder in New York City and sentenced to Sing Sing prison. While there he enrolled in an educational programme and received his bachelor’s degree through Mercy College. He later enrolled in the New York Theological Seminary where he was pursuing a master’s degree.
When he graduated with his first degree he was part of the largest commencement exercise at Sing Sing prison.
Granted parole in 2021, he set about trying to rebuild his life and was reportedly working with a government agency in New York City.
His dream of leading a productive life following his release was shattered when he was scooped up by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and spirited to the African country along with four others.
MINISTRY’S RELEASE
At the time, the Department of Homeland Security said Etoria was sent to the third party country because the Jamaican Government refused to accept him, a claim denied by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade.
In the ministry’s release yesterday, Johnson Smith said the ministry was continuing “its steadfast efforts towards the early return of Mr Etoria to Jamaica and remains in contact with the family of Mr Etoria through its Embassy in Washington, DC”.
The ministry further stated that Etoria has received regular medical attention, and arrangements were being put in place for further connection with his family and needs.
Etoria is not the only Jamaican who has been deported to a third country by the US amid this year’s ramping up of immigration crackdowns under US President Donald Trump. Another Jamaican was sent to Cuba.
The Trump administration announced this week that some 55 million people with visas will have their visas reviewed with a possible view of deporting them should the review show up discrepancies.
This has put several Jamaicans in the diaspora on edge.
At the same time, the US government has announced that immigrants seeking lawful work and citizenship in the US would now be screened to determine whether they have espoused anti-American sentiments.