Chang rejects Grant's Pen migrant reports and urges calm in St Mary

National Security Minister Dr Horace Chang has rejected reports suggesting that third-country nationals are being housed at a property in Grant's Pen, St Mary, saying the claims are untrue and are putting a retired Jamaican public servant's retirement investment at risk.

Speaking in a ministerial update, Dr Chang said the reports had stirred anger in the Grant's Pen community and appealed to residents to stay calm and avoid rash action. He stressed that no third-country person is at the location.

The minister said the property was developed by a long-serving Jamaican professional who reinvested her retirement funds in the country and runs a business that benefits the surrounding area. He said the owner is concerned for her own safety, that of her staff, visitors, and the property itself, and is considering cancelling bookings. He added that the pressure from the reports and the community may force her to close the business and pursue legal action.

Dr Chang said he spoke with the owner after obtaining her contact details, though she had not contacted the police herself. He has asked the Jamaica Constabulary Force to increase attention in the area, reassure residents that the reports are false, and maintain peace and good order. He said the police remain ready to receive any formal complaints.

He urged the media to give the same prominence to the rejection of the story as they gave to the original reports, noting that continued misinformation could harm an outstanding public servant who deserves fairness.

On the wider migration process, Dr Chang said work now rests with technical teams from the Ministry of National Security and Peace, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the International Organization for Migration. Those agencies will assess whether conditions are ready before any arrivals, and the public will be informed when that review is complete. He said he did not want to wait on that process to address the immediate situation in St Mary, but asked the community to refrain from any assault on the property or its staff.