Cabinet eases cement shortage and clarifies US transit deal for up to 25 third-country nationals

Government ministers used a post-Cabinet press briefing on Wednesday, June 17, 2026, to address two issues dominating public debate: cement shortages linked to hurricane recovery and a United States arrangement to transit third-country nationals through Jamaica.

Industry, Investment and Commerce Minister Senator Aubin Hill said demand for cement collapsed after Hurricane Melissa in October 2025, then surged late in the year as rebuilding picked up. Production was also hit when new equipment at the local cement plant failed, rainy weather affected clinker at Rockfort, and storm damage destroyed warehouses in Montego Bay.

After market checks with distributors, Cabinet approved temporary import quotas for several firms that had asked to bring in cement for six months. Hill named Buying House, Jamaica Logistics International Limited, Rock Hard Cement Jamaica, Tankwell Metals, Gore Development, and Island Concrete Company Limited, with allocations ranging from 20,000 to 150,000 metric tons. He said supply was returning toward normal and that future demand tied to major projects such as NAR would be handled separately.

Deputy Prime Minister and National Security Minister Dr Horace Chang said Jamaica accepts only Jamaican deportees from the United States, roughly 100 each month, and has no agreement to receive 10,000 illegal migrants. He said leaked reports had wrongly mixed that claim with a separate transit understanding signed last week.

Under that arrangement, initiated by Washington, Jamaica may host up to 25 third-country nationals at any time while they are processed for return home. Both governments may refuse individuals or end the deal, operational details remain unfinished, and no arrivals are expected until accommodation through the International Organization for Migration is settled. The United States will cover initial costs and no one will be detained.

Chang said English speakers are the main proposed criterion, that similar programmes elsewhere have seen about 94% of participants leave within two weeks, and that the scheme would stop if all 25 chose to remain in Jamaica. He stressed that transit passengers are not deportees, and that handling differs from undocumented Haitian migrants, who may be detained while asylum cases proceed.

Information Minister Dr Dana Morris Dixon closed by saying Cabinet acted to ease cement pressure on households and businesses and to set the public record straight on the transit deal.