Chang says US requested third-country national deal amid marks note dispute

National Security Minister Dr Horace Chang told the House of Representatives on Wednesday that the United States government—not Jamaica—first approached Kingston about temporarily accommodating non-Jamaican deportees under a third-country national arrangement.

Chang, who is also Deputy Prime Minister, was answering Opposition MP Dr Dayton Campbell during a sitting focused on the controversial deal. He said Washington has made similar requests to allies across the region and worldwide, and that Jamaican officials negotiated terms only after the government decided to respond. He rejected suggestions that Kingston would operate outside the law, and said any person who remains and applies under relevant conventions would be handled through the courts and the refugee system.

Campbell pressed whether the US had ever indicated Jamaica could receive up to 10,000 third-country nationals. Chang said no such figure was discussed through official channels between the two governments, and that immigration communication with Washington goes through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade.

That account contrasts with a diplomatic note reported in The Gleaner on Thursday. The document named Minister without Portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister Audrey Marks—not the US—as having proposed a third-country national arrangement during the Americas Counter Cartel Conference at US Southern Command in Miami, Florida, on 5 March 2026. It stated Marks proposed that Jamaica could receive up to 10,000 third-country nationals from the United States.

In Manchester, 19-year-old motorcyclist Andrew Williams of Anfield died in a two-vehicle crash on the Logwood Muse Road in Huntfield about 4:30 p.m. Tuesday. Police said a green Simple CG 200 motorcycle collided with a Honda motor car; Williams was thrown from the bike and pronounced dead at hospital.

Three men died in a three-vehicle crash on the Burket Main Road in Trelawny about 9:00 p.m. Wednesday. They were identified as Javel Johns and Jamar Johnson, both of Flanker in St James, and 23-year-old Clinton Douglas of Majestic Gardens, Kingston 11. Police said the Fielder driver attempted to overtake another vehicle before the collision involving a Toyota Hiace, Fielder and Voxy.

Also in Manchester, police fatally shot a man identified only as Celius Lobster during an early-morning targeted operation Thursday in Benttown, near New Forest in South Manchester. A police source said a 9mm pistol was seized after an alleged confrontation. The operation followed Monday’s launch of Operation Reset by Area Three police targeting criminals linked to lottery scam violence.

Investigators have made no breakthrough in the death of 79-year-old yoga instructor Fet Johnson, found at her Negril home about 7:00 a.m. Tuesday with neck bruises. Originally from France but long resident in Jamaica, Johnson taught at several Negril hotels. Police said there were no obvious signs of break-in and a post-mortem is pending.

In Portland, a student held after Monday’s fatal stabbing of 24-year-old carpenter Jeremy Ferguson in Port Antonio has been released pending further investigation. Police said a fight between Ferguson and a group of students preceded the chest wound.

The Fraud Squad and Financial Crimes Investigation Division are seeking 38-year-old accountant Gary Bennett of Woodford Park, Kingston 4, wanted over more than $2 million allegedly taken from a company where he worked between October and December 2024. Tips may be sent to 876-922-3740, Crime Stop at 311, or the nearest police station.

Cabinet Minister Dr Andrew Wheatley is to be charged with four offences, including illicit enrichment, after the Integrity Commission found assets allegedly disproportionate to lawful earnings by more than $164 million. Documents tabled in Parliament on Wednesday also recommended charges for allegedly false statutory declarations and failing to provide requested information. Wheatley told the House the report was false, inaccurate and grossly misleading, and said his lawyers would defend his reputation.