Jamaica agrees with United States to transit deported third-country nationals as legal and political concerns mount

The Government of Jamaica confirmed on Tuesday, June 16, 2026, that it has entered into a memorandum of understanding with the United States covering third-country nationals ordered removed by American authorities. According to the Ministry of National Security, those persons would transit through Jamaica on the way to their home countries or to third territories, and would not be permitted to settle permanently on the island.

Officials said negotiated safeguards include individual vetting, health screening, criminal record checks, and clearance by the National Intelligence Bureau. The ministry also stated that no more than ten third-country nationals would remain in Jamaica within any thirty-day period. The disclosure followed morning media reports and has raised questions about what legal status the individuals would hold while on Jamaican soil, whether non-refoulement obligations apply when flights arrive at Norman Manley International Airport, and whether Parliament should have a role in an arrangement of this magnitude.

Attorney Marcus Goff, partner at Goff Law and lecturer at the University of the West Indies, Mona Faculty of Law, described the plan as legally questionable and said it sits uncomfortably with Jamaica's treatment of Haitian migrants and asylum seekers. He pointed to challenges elsewhere, including the United Kingdom Supreme Court's rejection of the Rwanda asylum arrangement, and argued that Jamaica's outdated Aliens Act, limited refugee policy, and strained detention capacity should be addressed before accepting external transit demands.

Opposition spokesman on national security Fitz Jackson, Member of Parliament for St. Catherine South, said the opposition learned of the agreement through Tuesday's publication and was not consulted beforehand. He questioned Jamaica's interest in the deal and contrasted it with the current administration's rejection of a prior proposal to house Jamaican nationals detained in the United Kingdom.

Separately, the Court of Appeal granted Jackson leave to challenge a 2024 Supreme Court ruling that sided with Scotiabank in his dispute over a $385 check encashment fee imposed at the bank's Portmore branch in 2019. Scotiabank later discontinued encashment fees, but Jackson said a judgment in his favour would establish that such charges breach existing legislation and could affect the wider banking sector. He accused the Bank of Jamaica of failing to ensure banks comply with the law and said dormancy fees would be his next focus.

In St. James, delegates marked Diaspora Day at the eleventh biennial Jamaica Diaspora Conference at the Montego Bay Convention Centre. The event runs through June 18 under the theme "Diaspora Partnerships: We Building a More Climate Resilient Jamaica." Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Alando Terrelonge said the conference is centred on trade, investment, and direct partnership rather than remittances alone. Remittances from Jamaicans overseas totalled US$3.36 billion in 2024, representing 16.9 per cent of gross domestic product.