Jamaica accepts first flight of third-country deportations from US

Opposition leaders in Jamaica have questioned why the deportation deal with the Trump White House has not been made public. Save Share The Caribbean country of Jamaica has received its first third-country deportations from the United States, as part of an expanding set of international agreements under President Donald Trump. On Tuesday, 22 deportees from the US arrived at Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston, Jamaica. Media reports indicate they were subsequently boarded onto a bus and taken to an undisclosed location. Such deportations – which often involve non-citizens who have no ties to their destinations – have faced widespread condemnation from human rights groups and advocates who have questioned their legality. But Jamaica is among a growing number of countries to accept third-country deportations, as part of Trump’s effort to implement the largest mass deportation campaign in US history. At least 35 countries have entered into third-country deportation agreements with the US, according to Third Country Deportation Watch, an advocacy project affiliated with the groups Refugees International and Human Rights First. The Washington Post reported last month that the Trump administration has earmarked roughly $410m to support such efforts. Jamaica signed a bilateral memorandum of understanding in June to receive third-country deportations. Under the plan, Jamaica will transfer any deportees to their home countries or other destinations after their arrival. The country’s government has also pledged not to accept any deportees with criminal records. “The government reiterates that this is a transit arrangement intended to facilitate the return of Third Country Nationals to their country of origin or other receiving countries,” Jamaica’s Ministry of National Security and Peace and its Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade said in a joint statement. It added that care for the deportees will be supported by the International Organization for Migration, a United Nations organisation. “The arrangement will not be funded by the Government of Jamaica,” the joint statement added. Opposition leaders in Jamaica, however, spoke out against the deportation, framing the deal as a threat to the island’s security. They also questioned why the agreement had not been debated publicly....