Jamaica accepts first flight of third-country deportations from US

What the report says

Jamaica has received its first flight of third-country deportees from the United States, according to Al Jazeera, with 22 people arriving at Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston on Tuesday. Media reports cited in the article said the group was later taken by bus to an undisclosed location. The transfer comes as part of a wider set of agreements under President Donald Trump’s deportation policy and amid ongoing legal and political controversy in the US and abroad.

Al Jazeera reports that Jamaica signed a bilateral memorandum of understanding in June to accept third-country deportees, with the government saying the country will serve as a transit point before people are sent to their countries of origin or elsewhere. Jamaican officials said the arrangement will not be funded by the government and that support will come from the International Organization for Migration. The government also said it will not accept deportees with criminal records.

The move has drawn criticism from opposition figures in Jamaica, who argued that the agreement affects national security and should have been discussed more openly. Foreign Minister Kamina Johnson Smith said questions about the deal had already been answered and indicated that the United States has not agreed to make the agreement public. Separately, human rights advocates in the US continue to challenge third-country deportations, saying they can deny due process and may expose deportees to danger.