Summary
- KINGSTON: Jamaica has received its first group of people deported from the United States under a third-country deportation arrangement accepting 22 individuals who arrived at Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston according to an Urdu-language report published on October 14.
- The development comes amid the Trump administration’s efforts to expand deportations through agreements with countries willing to accept people who are being removed from the United States but sent somewhere other than their country of origin.
- Under third-country deportation arrangements the receiving country agrees to accept individuals who are removed from the United States even when they are not being returned directly to their country of origin.
KINGSTON: Jamaica has received its first group of people deported from the United States under a third-country deportation arrangement accepting 22 individuals who arrived at Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston according to an Urdu-language report published on October 14.
According to media reports cited in the article the 22 individuals arrived in Kingston before being transferred onto buses and taken to an undisclosed location. Details about their nationalities immigration cases and intended destinations after arrival were not provided.
Jamaica’s participation places the Caribbean nation among countries that have agreed to receive people deported from the United States under third-country arrangements.
The Third Country Deportation Watch an advocacy initiative focused on international and human rights protections for displaced people estimates that at least 35 countries have reached such agreements with Washington.
These arrangements have drawn attention because they can involve sending people to countries where they are not citizens. Questions surrounding the agreements include the treatment of deportees, access to legal protections and whether individuals may face further transfers after arriving in a receiving country.
A Washington Post report cited in the original article said the Trump administration had allocated approximately $410 million to support efforts related to these arrangements. The funding figure was reported last month according to the source.
The latest development reflects the expanding use of international cooperation in US immigration enforcement. Under third-country deportation arrangements the receiving country agrees to accept individuals who are removed from the United States even when they are not being returned directly to their country of origin.
However, the available report did not provide further information about the agreement’s terms with Jamaica the legal status of the 22 individuals or the arrangements made for their accommodation and onward movement.
Further details from Jamaican and US authorities would be needed to clarify the conditions under which the individuals were received and what will happen to them next.
