‘You will meet a judge or your maker’
PM issues warning to deportees intent on committing crime; welcomes those with ‘good heart’, ‘good mind’
Published:Monday | February 3, 2025 | 5:10 PMAndre Williams/Staff Reporter
Prime Minister Andrew Holness, a day after the arrival of 56 deportees on Jamaica’s shores, yesterday added his voice to the discussion around the looming influx of Jamaicans booted from the United States (US) as well as those seeking to return home on their own.
Holness, addressing a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the New Social Housing Programme (NSHP) in St James, welcomed the return of all Jamaicans from overseas while issuing an ominous warning to those planning to come home to a life of crime.
“We are living in profoundly changing times. There are many Jamaicans who would be concerned about the change in immigration policies in the United States. There are many Jamaicans who live in the United States. I would want to reassure Jamaicans that your government has long been planning and putting in place measures to address any changes in policies in the United States,” the prime minister said.
“Firstly, let me say that Jamaica is the homeland, so Jamaicans all over the world will always be welcomed back to your homeland and we are prepared to receive all our hardworking Jamaicans who have been in the United States or wherever they may have gone for economic benefits.”
He argued that Jamaica has always been a net supplier of talent to the world and that it might be “a good thing” to have some of the nation’s talented individuals return home where they can assist in building the country.
“There are many Jamaicans now who are feeling uncertain in the United States and who are considering returning on their own to avoid the indignity of being deported and we welcome you back to Jamaica… . We want your talent, we want your resources. There are many opportunities in Jamaica that together we can take advantage of and build the country that we would want,” Holness said.
The prime minister’s comments followed a Gleaner report yesterday on Thursday’s deportation exercise which saw the first batch of Jamaicans sent back from the US since US President Donald Trump returned to office on January 20.
The deportees who landed on Thursday would, however, have been slated to return before Trump instituted a new immigration policy aimed at clamping down on and removing illegal immigrants in the US.
Up to November last year, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement has indicated there are almost 1.5 million non-citizens on its non-detained docket with final orders of removal, of which more than 5,000 are Jamaicans now expected to be flooding home in the coming months.
Deportation of Jamaicans from the US customarily takes place on the last Thursday of the month.
Seeking to return home
In addition to the anticipated forced removals from the US, Jamaica’s ambassador to the US, Audrey Marks, revealed during a Let’s Connect Diaspora Town Hall meeting on Wednesday that there has been an increase in the number of out-of-status Jamaicans who have been reaching out to the embassy seeking to return home.
“There has been no increase in deportations to Jamaica because of the Trump immigration policy. There is no big influx of deportees to Jamaica,” she however stressed.
Among the 56 deportees who landed Thursday was a 70-year-old former church deacon who was convicted of sexual offences against minors.
There were also four men who were handed over to local police to face criminal cases for which they were on the run.
There has however been no indication of whether any of the other deportees have been convicted or might be facing criminal cases.
Addressing concerns about the possibility that some deportees might become involved in criminality, Holness warned individuals with such intentions would face repercussions.
“Let me be clear to you that this is not the Jamaica that you left 10 or 20 years ago. It is not the JCF (Jamaica Constabulary Force) that you left 10 or 20 years ago. You will either meet a judge or your maker if you come back to Jamaica and violate our laws and create havoc,” the prime minister declared.
“I know that there are many who will be returning to Jamaica, coming back to lovely communities like these rural areas, and they may attempt to set up gangs, get involved in scamming and undermine the values of the communities that they return to. We will not tolerate that.”
Holness said the Government wanted all Jamaicans to at all times feel that they have a country to which they can come back, call home, and be well received.
“Come back with a good heart and a good mind, come back willing to work, come back with your resources, you will be able to make life here, but don’t come back here to undermine and destroy what we have built,” Holness said.
In the meantime, the People’s National Party (PNP) yesterday called for the Government to present a clear plan for incoming deportees.
“The PNP has noted that the first deportation flight from the United States of America under the new Donald Trump Administration has landed without any plan from the Government of how our country is going to absorb the over 5,000 individuals who are expected to be deported to Jamaica within the next three to five months,” the PNP stated in a release.
According to the Opposition party, Jamaica has never faced such a high volume of deported persons in such a short period.
“While deportation is not a new phenomenon, the volume which is now presenting itself poses significant problems to the country in terms of crime management and social services as well as pressure on our already fragile economy,” the PNP stated.
The party noted that, while Senator Kamina Johnson Smith, minister of foreign affairs and foreign trade, on Thursday issued a statement indicating that the Government is considering a plan, the country had still not heard the key elements of what would be put in place to minimise the negative effects on the country.
“Therefore, we ask the Government to outline a plan of absorption of the deported individuals into the country via a multi-ministry/agency approach, which will protect security interests while providing avenues for these nationals to reintegrate successfully into our society and contribute to the economic and social development of our country,” the PNP said.
“The Opposition stands ready to assist in the formulation of this plan and we are available once consulted.”
Holness however stated that the Government was already planning “in terms of putting in place new measures and enhanced security measures to address those who have a criminal past or who have been interdicted in the US or convicted in the US and are being returned after serving their criminal penalties there”.
Said the prime minister: “We will ensure that they are appropriately monitored here and that they are not in any way contributing to an increase in our crime or murder rate. We have sacrificed long and hard. The people of Jamaica have borne the negative impacts of local violence. We will not tolerate criminals coming here to increase our crime rate or murder rate. It is on a downward trajectory, we are doing very well and we will not allow this to happen.”