Jamaica to receive up to 25 US-deported third-country migrants every two weeks under transit pact

The Jamaican government has outlined plans to receive third-country nationals deported from the United States, who will use Jamaica as a temporary stopover before moving on to their final destinations under a memorandum of understanding between the two countries.

Facing public concern, officials have insisted these individuals will not be settled permanently on the island. Security Minister Dr. Horace Chang told Parliament on June 17, 2026, that those covered by the arrangement are not being brought in as long-term migrants. He said negotiations with Washington continue, though certain terms are already settled, including a requirement that the United States government pay for the deportees' initial period in Jamaica. The amount involved has not been made public, and Chang did not say whether Jamaica would face any cost.

"They'll be here for a short time only and during the time they are here, they will be funded by the government of the United States through the International Organization for Migration," Chang said.

Under the agreement, Jamaica would take in up to 25 migrants every two weeks, with no more than 25 expected to remain in the country at any one time. Chang said anyone who managed to stay beyond the transit period would be handled under international law. He said ten would serve as a trigger point — if ten or more remain in Jamaica, acceptance would stop while authorities review how the programme is managed.

Chang cited decades of cooperation between Jamaica and the United States, noting that Washington requested the arrangement and that Kingston negotiated terms its professionals found acceptable.

Similar US arrangements elsewhere have carried heavy costs. A congressional investigation disclosed in February 2026 found the Trump administration spent more than US$1 million per person to deport some migrants to countries where they had no prior ties. The US government paid more than US$32 million to five foreign governments to accept roughly 300 third-country nationals. Rwanda received US$7.5 million plus an estimated US$601,000 in flight costs for seven people — about US$1.1 million per person. Eswatini was paid US$5.1 million for 15 people, and El Salvador received US$4.76 million for about 250 people.

In 2025, Belize outlined a deal — then pending Senate approval — that would allow migrants deported from the US to apply for asylum there rather than return to their home countries. The US State Department called it "an important milestone in ending illegal migration," and "shutting down abuse" "of the US asylum system." That same year, Panama, Costa Rica, and Honduras also accepted people deported by the United States.

Legal questions have been raised about whether broad participation in such arrangements implies compulsion. One line of argument asks whether every member of the Jamaican cabinet should consider whether the country risks breaching the foundational international law of non-refoulement, which prohibits states from sending or returning persons to countries from which they are fleeing persecution.