Anger in Jamaica over deal to accept migrants expelled by the US
KINGSTON, Jamaica -- A deal to accept migrants expelled by the United States is sparking protests by Jamaica’s main opposition party and a host of other groups.
The deal was signed on June 10 by the U.S. and Jamaica, which this week finished rules meant to defuse public anger about it. The agreement allows the Trump administration to send non-Jamaican migrants to the island en route to their home countries.
Jamaica is joining nearly 30 nations that have agreed to accept migrants expelled by the U.S. The opposition center-left People’s National Party, along with civic organizations, commentators and members of the Jamaican diaspora, is demanding that the ruling conservative Jamaica Labour Party go beyond this week’s rules and disclose the details of the agreement.
PNP officials say they worry about strains on resources and national security, and human rights protections for migrants. They have also expressed fears that Jamaica could incur unexpected costs or take in individuals with criminal histories.
“We just don’t trust what the government is saying,” said Bishop Alvin Bailey, leader of an alliance of evangelical churches.
Jamaica’s ministries of national security and foreign affairs have said the new rules stipulate that the U.S. will assume the cost of the deal and not send any migrant with a criminal record.
Jamaica also says the U.N.’s International Organization for Migration will meet migrants' needs while they are in the country.
The PNP’s national security spokesman, Fitz Jackson, said that citizens should know what their country has agreed to. The document laying out the deal also must be approved by Parliament, he said.
“Jamaicans are being asked to trust a secret document that touches their security, their communities and their public services,” Jackson said.
Foreign Affairs Minister Kamina Johnson Smith said that Washington is opposed to the details being made public. The State Department said it didn’t comment on communications with other governments.
“They have not generally released their agreements, and they have not agreed to release this one,” Johnson Smith said.
