Nine more TCNs depart Jamaica; Johnson Smith insists no criminals being accepted

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Nine more individuals transferred to Jamaica under the third-country national (TCN) agreement with the US have departed the island, Foreign Affairs Minister Senator Kamina Johnson Smith has announced, while reiterating that Jamaica is not accepting criminal deportees under the arrangement. Speaking at a post-Cabinet press briefing on Wednesday, Johnson Smith disclosed that the nine individuals departed on Tuesday, leaving 11 others in Jamaica whose departure arrangements are at various stages of processing. “Yesterday I reported that one person had returned home, 21 continue to be in country and one had requested to stay. I can advise that yesterday, nine of the 20 departed and the remaining balance [of] 11, the discussions continue about their process, or rather they are at different stages of their processes for departure,” she explained. The minister also sought to address concerns surrounding the agreement following a statement issued Tuesday by the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which highlighted the deportation of individuals convicted of serious crimes under third-country arrangements. DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said under the agreement the United States had deported individuals convicted of serious offences, including murder, rape, sexual offences against children and drug trafficking. “Thanks to these third-country agreements, we have been able to deport some of the worst criminal illegal aliens from the United States, including those who are so barbaric that even their home countries won’t take them back,” Mullin said. Johnson Smith made it clear that Jamaica is not among the countries that have agreed to receive individuals with criminal backgrounds. “There are countries which have agreed to receive criminals. They exist. When the United States speaks about sending criminals under the TCN agreements, they send them to those countries. Jamaica is not one of them,” she stressed. She explained that Jamaica’s agreement with the United States specifically excludes persons with criminal antecedents, apart from violations of US immigration laws, including illegal entry. “Our country has negotiated arrangements whereby persons with criminal antecedents will not be sent to Jamaica,” she said. “Our arrangement does not agree to receive any criminals. They are vetted on the US side and they are vetted on the Jamaica side before they enter Jamaica,” Johnson Smith added. The TCN agreement has been under scrutiny amid concerns about the categories of deportees being accommodated in Jamaica and the details of the agreement which still remain unknown.