By illegal means

• Jamaicans' part in fraudulent birth certificate schemes prompts US to endorse travel initiative

A MAJOR racket by Jamaicans using fraudulent United States (US) birth certificates to enter that country prompted the US Embassy in Kingston to back the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) despite pleas from government and tourism officials locally.

The initiative, introduced January 1, 2006, required US citizens travelling by air back into that country to present a valid passport.

The then Jamaican Government had opposed the move, saying it would adversely impact tourist arrivals from the US, but the embassy argued that corruption and fraud in Jamaica were exposing America to criminals and possibly terrorists.

"The GOJ (Government of Jamaica) has informed Post (embassy) that this requirement will impede visitor flows to Jamaica ... where more than half of US tourists enter without passports," stated a sensitive but unclassified diplomatic cable sent from the US Embassy in Kingston on May 20, 2005.

"Post strongly endorses the proposed WHTI schedule due to the high rate of document fraud that exists in Jamaica, including the use of fraudulent US birth certificates and driver's licences, as well as photo-subbed US passports," the cable said.

The US had announced its intention to implement the WHTI in wake of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack in New York, but tourism officials in Jamaica said they would fight it.

predicted loss

A 2005 study, commissioned by the Caribbean Hotel Association, estimated that the region could lose US$2.6 billion in tourism revenue with Jamaica - where 80 per cent of US visitors lacked passports - bearing the brunt.

According to the diplomatic cable, American officials in Kingston felt their country could be penetrated by criminals who exploit Jamaica's corrupt immigration system to gain access to the US.

"US birth certificates used for travel to the US continue to trouble fraud prevention efforts in Jamaica. The frequent misuse of US birth certificates and ID cards used as travel documents had peaked as the preferred method of criminal/imposter travel," the cable said.

It added: "It is unclear and nearly impossible to account for the number of persons using birth certificates and bogus ID cards to gain entry to the US. This method of travel clearly creates a potential threat to US national security. Persons using US birth certificates are rarely challenged as to the validity of their claim to US citizenship by either local airline or immigration employees when departing Jamaica for the US."

breeder documents

The embassy said US birth certificates are one of the many breeder documents used to obtain entry to the US from Caribbean countries.

"Once in the US, those same persons obtain other vital documents to legitimise their illegal stay, that is, social security cards and driver's licences. Increasingly, illegal document vendors choose to purchase or steal US birth certificates or obtain copies of authentic certificates using fraudulent means. It is well worth the effort as the prices on the street bring lucrative profits," the cable said.

It added: "An authentic US birth certificate not only provides the bearer with a new identity, but the false claim of US citizenship bypasses the risk of being photographed and fingerprinted at the ports of entry. Thus, it has become the preferred re-entry method for Jamaica's legions of criminal deportees, as well as for economic migrants."

At the same time, the US said that apart from adult deportees, economic migrants and possibly terrorists, they are concerned about the prevalence of US birth certificates to move Jamaican children to the US illegally.

The cable said: "Although we believe that the vast majority of Jamaican children smuggled into the US through the false identity of an American birth certificate are kids joining parents already living illegally in the US or who are circumventing a long wait for a priority date for legal immigration, we cannot rule out some instances of child smuggling for more nefarious purposes. Jamaican Lee Boyd Malvo is a classic example."

Malvo was the Jamaican teenager who, along with John Allen Muhammad, engaged in the 2002 killing spree in the Washington Metropolitan area of the US. Malvo had entered the US illegally and Muhammad was falsely listed at his father when he was enrolled in school.