Jamaica

On June 10, 2026, Jamaica signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the United States to receive third-country nationals. The Security Minister Horace Chang has stated that the agreement is a Memorandum of Understanding. Jamaica will be a “transit country,” transferring up to 25 people every two weeks, and hosting no more than 10 migrants at once. The Security Minister stated that the United States would support all related costs and arrangements, and noted how people with criminal backgrounds would not be accepted. The details of the reception are unclear. Jamaica does not have an official asylum system. 

A local news outlet reported that U.S. threats to revoke the visas of Jamaican nationals prompted the Jamaican government to approve a third-country transfer agreement. According to the report, U.S. officials, frustrated by Jamaica’s slow progress in negotiating the agreement, threatened visa revocations to pressure the government into signing it. The U.S. exerted pressure in other ways as well. On June 23, reports indicated that at least one Jamaican national had been removed to Equatorial Guinea. On July 9, additional reports stated that Jamaican nationals had been deported to Eswatini, including a 64-year-old pastor whose family said he had no criminal convictions in the United States and had been granted protection under the Convention Against Torture in 2016. One Jamaican national who was sent to Eswatini in 2025 has since been repatriated.U.S. immigration attorney, Dionnie Wynter-Pfunde, who represents a Jamaican client, accused the United States of using agreements to circumvent international human rights law. 

In July 2026, the Conference of the Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) took place, with the leaders in attendance releasing astatement expressing concerns about third country removal agreements. The statement emphasized the agreements’ purpose is to serve solely as a transit point for individuals being sent back to their home countries, which raises concerns about potential chain refoulement.

In July 2026, hundreds of protestors gathered in Jamaica to challenge the removal agreement, citing transparency and security concerns. 

Consensual same-sex conduct is criminalized in Jamaica,  contributing to a culture of hostility, discrimination, exclusion, and violence against LGBTQ+ persons that would put at risk gay third country nationals should they be forcefully transferred there. 

The United States is Jamaica’s largest trading partner. Jamaica exports many products tariff-free to the United States. Many U.S. firms also operate in Jamaica, and a significant proportion of Jamaica’s GDP originates from remittance payments. USAID had been supporting Jamaica for more than 60 years through a number of activities, such as improving basic education and health, and increasing security before an international foreign aid freeze. Historically, there have been deep economic and cultural ties between the United States and Jamaica; over the last 60 years, the Jamaican community in the United States has increased significantly. Many have experienced discrimination while living in the United States. As of July 2026, more than 3,000 Jamaicans were awaiting deportation proceedings. Moved by recent developments, the diaspora community started organizing against the agreement.