Advocates Network urges release of Jamaica-US TCN pact and public role in ongoing talks

The Advocates Network (AN) has urged the Government to release the Third Country National (TCN) agreement it recently signed with the United States, saying transparency is needed if authorities are to restore public trust.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) covers temporary accommodation for third-country nationals who would pass through Jamaica on their way to other destinations. The Government has indicated that stays would normally run for seven days, with an upper limit of 14 days, and that no more than 25 TCNs would enter the island in any two-week period.

The pact has fuelled broad public debate and street protests over how openly the administration has handled the migrant transit plan. Many people first heard about the MOU through the press, and critics have questioned why a signed document is still subject to further negotiation.

In a statement issued this morning, AN argued that once the MOU is in place, there is no sound basis for keeping it under wraps until every detail is settled. The group added that, having been shut out of talks before the signing, citizens should at least be heard as the finer points of the arrangement are still being worked out.