Jamaica Accepts First Third-Country Deportation Flight from U.S. Amid Supreme Court Dispute
Jamaica Receives First Flight with 22 Third-Country Deportees at Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston Under New U.S. Agreement
Deportees from third countries enter Jamaica after flying from the United States
Jamaica began deporting third countries from the United States this week, with the first flight of migrants arriving on Tuesday.
US President Donald Trump's administration has used the third-country policy to deport immigrants who claim their countries of origin are too dangerous to return to.
On Tuesday, a flight of 22 migrants landed at Kingston's Norman Manley International Airport in Jamaica.
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Jamaican officials signed a memorandum of understanding with the United States in June to allow the transfers to begin. According to the agreement, the number of migrants is limited to 25 "every two weeks".
According to NBC News, Jamaica's Ministry of National Security and Peace and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade released a joint statement clarifying the new program.
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"The government reiterates that this is a transit arrangement aimed at facilitating the return of third-country nationals to their country of origin or other receiving countries, with the support of the IOM (International Organization for Migration)," the statement said.
These arrangements will not be funded by the Government of Jamaica. "No third country national with a criminal record will be allowed to cross Jamaica."
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Third-country deportations have come under fire from critics of the Trump administration, and the Supreme Court is set to review the legality of the policy in December.
The Supreme Court in September allowed the Trump administration to continue deportations while the question is being raised.
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Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Katanji Brown Jackson said they would deny the government's request for a stay.
The decision gives immediate relief to the government, which has been seeking third-country deportations, even though the Supreme Court has yet to decide whether the policy will stand.
The dispute centers on the Trump administration's efforts to transfer illegal aliens to third countries. Lower courts have not outright prohibited these deportations, but have mandated procedures that provide aliens with an opportunity to raise claims that they may face persecution or persecution in their destination country.
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