Government Moves to Calm Third-Country Nationals Fears

The Government is continuing to push back against concerns over Jamaica's agreement with the United States to temporarily receive third-country nationals (TCN) who will be transited through Jamaica to their home countries.

 

Speaking in a Jamaica Information Service Ministerial Update, Information Minister Dr Dana Morris Dixon said the arrangement is limited in scope and includes strict safeguards.

 

According to a report from the Jamaica Information Service, Morris Dixon said it was the United States Government that initiated discussions regarding the TCN programme, noting that Jamaica has signed a Memorandum of Understanding facilitating the transit of individuals transferred from the US through Jamaica en route to their final destinations. "It is a US initiative. So, the US would have come to us on that Third Country Nationals programme," she said.

 

The minister, who was speaking alongside JIS Chief Executive Officer Giovanni Dennis at Jamaica House on Thursday, June 18, also moved to clear up public confusion surrounding the policy.

 

She said the TCN arrangement is being conflated with separate discussions exploring opportunities to attract skilled workers to Jamaica, a distinct initiative involving the Minister without Portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister responsible for Efficiency, Innovation and Digital Transformation.

 

The clarification comes as the agreement continues to draw scrutiny from advocacy groups and members of the public concerned about its implications, even as officials maintain the deal is narrowly defined and carries built-in protections.