Nine more TCNs depart Jamaica; Johnson Smith insists no criminals being accepted

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Nine more individuals transferred to Jamaica under the third-country national (TCN) agreement with the US have departed the island, Foreign Affairs Minister Senator Kamina Johnson Smith has announced, while reiterating that Jamaica is not accepting criminal deportees under the arrangement.

Speaking at a post-Cabinet press briefing on Wednesday, Johnson Smith disclosed that the nine individuals departed on Tuesday, leaving 11 others in Jamaica whose departure arrangements are at various stages of processing.

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“Yesterday I reported that one person had returned home, 21 continue to be in country and one had requested to stay. I can advise that yesterday, nine of the 20 departed and the remaining balance [of] 11, the discussions continue about their process, or rather they are at different stages of their processes for departure,” she explained.