Portmore double murder draws curfew as Holness defends US third-country migrant pact

St. Catherine police believe a gang feud over territory may have driven a deadly Sunday attack in Naggo Head, Portmore, that left two young delivery workers dead and a pregnant woman wounded. The victims were identified as 17-year-old Kenri Ibanks, known as “Wealthy Stunt,” and 20-year-old Michael Elliot Jr., alias “Bull.” Both were employed at Seven Crave and lived at Portmore addresses.

Authorities imposed a 48-hour curfew in sections of the community from Sunday as security forces conduct targeted operations aimed at blocking reprisals and restoring calm. The mother of one victim said the family now lives in fear and is struggling to process the trauma. Relatives maintain the men were not involved in crime. Residents pointed to years of violence in the area, including a December 2021 arson that destroyed several homes and displaced multiple families. Investigators say inquiries continue and operations will run through the curfew period.

Separately, Prime Minister Andrew Holness dismissed widespread concern that Jamaica would become a dumping ground for undesirable persons under a controversial arrangement to temporarily accept third-country nationals from the United States in groups of 25 every two weeks. Speaking Monday on Nationwide Radio with Cliff Hughes, he called the public panic “almost to the point of being ridiculous” and urged Jamaicans to think carefully before spreading alarm.

Holness said the government was not coerced into the pact, which surfaced in a Gleaner report last Tuesday, and noted that 28 other countries, including regional partners, have taken similar steps. He argued bilateral talks are conducted privately until agreements are finalised, stressed the memorandum of understanding is signed but not yet operational, and said a press briefing would follow once details are settled.

Opposition Leader Mark Golding has not called for Jamaica to reject the deal outright but criticised how it entered the public domain and cited US court challenges. The PNP Women’s Movement, trade unions, and civil society groups have demanded fuller explanations, especially after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in April 2025 that Washington was seeking countries to receive people he described among the most despicable offenders.

National Security Minister Dr. Horace Chang, who signed the arrangement, said it excludes persons with criminal convictions, unaccompanied minors, and Jamaican nationals, and will be run by the International Organization for Migration at US expense. Further transfers would pause if ten or more third-country nationals remain in Jamaica beyond 30 days. A US Embassy note naming Minister Arjie Marks as having proposed the deal at a Miami security summit on March 5 has fuelled debate, though Information Minister Dr. Dana Morris Dixon said the document mixed up that discussion with a separate skilled-worker programme envisaging 10,000 participants.