4,000 deportees for Ja

United States (US) authorities have signalled to the Jamaican Government that they have almost 4,000 Jamaicans to be deported, as part of the sweeping immigration crackdown by President Donald Trump, a top official in the Dr Andrew Holness-led administration has disclosed.

Minister of National Security Dr Horace Chang noted that a vast majority of the 3,900 Jamaicans are facing deportation for illegally crossing into the US and other immigration breaches, but said the number also includes repeat sex offenders and persons convicted for other serious crimes.

Trump, who is in his second term as president, took office in January vowing to carry out the largest mass deportation in American history, targeting more than 10 million unauthorised migrants believed to be in the US.

In the first 100 days since he took office, approximately 66,463 illegal aliens were arrested across the US, according to data published by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Some 65,682 have since been removed from the US.

ICE DATA

The criminal records of those arrested by ICE and Homeland Security agents include convictions or charges for 9,639 cases of assaults; 6,398 cases of driving while intoxicated or driving under the influence of alcohol; and 1,479 weapon-related offences, the ICE data shows.

The anticipated influx of deportees has pushed the Holness administration to dust off a recommendation made by a parliamentary committee nearly six years ago for Jamaica to make legislative changes that will allow for deportees convicted of sex crimes overseas to be added to the sex offender registry here.

Jamaica’s Sex Offender Registry, which is established under the Sexual Offences Act, typically mandates registration for individuals convicted of specific sexual offences within the country.

A joint select committee of Parliament recommended in 2019 that it should be mandatory for sex offenders who have relocated or returned to Jamaica to be captured in the Jamaican registry.

Failure to register would constitute an offence, which may be punishable by imprisonment, the committee said in recommendations outlined by Justice Minister Delroy Chuck in Parliament on October 1, 2019, as he opened debate on its report.

The committee was appointed to complete a review of the Sexual Offences Act, the Offences against the Person Act, the Domestic Violence Act and the Child Care and Protection Act.

Chang, who is also Jamaica’s deputy prime minister, disclosed that the Government has already commenced the process to amend the laws governing the Sex Offender Registry, to mandate registration of persons convicted in other countries.

“They are pushing it through,” Chang told The Gleaner last Thursday, making reference to the justice ministry led by Chuck, his Cabinet colleague.

“He is moving on it … and they assure me that they will bring it in soon.”

THOROUGH REVIEW

The parliamentary opposition yesterday signalled their support for the move to widen the registry, but suggested that a “thorough review” be conducted of how it operates.

As an example, Senator Donna Scott-Mottley, opposition spokesperson on justice, cited the long-running public debate about widening the categories of persons authorised to access the registry.

“Is the registry being utilised by those persons who can get access? Are there repeat offenders in the database? What method should we employ to allow communities to have information about convicted sex offenders while minimising the possibility of affecting rehabilitation?” she questioned, pointing to some of the issues the review should address.

Human rights lobby Jamaicans For Justice (JFJ) said the move by the Government to widen the sex offender registry to include overseas convictions “is not something we would take issue with”.

“This is in keeping with a call we made before,” said Mickel Jackson, executive director of JFJ, citing a joint public statement issued by three human rights groups in February 2023.

The statement recommended a review of the Sexual Offences Act to include adding sex offenders from foreign jurisdictions to the Jamaican registry.

Jackson noted that JFJ does not support wide public access to the database, but suggested that sex-related convictions recorded in other countries should be included in the Jamaican database to enable those with authorised access to better protect vulnerable groups.

She said the proposed legislative changes need to strike the right balance regarding right to privacy while protecting the population and vulnerable groups, in particular children.

Jackson said it is important that the Government move beyond talk and conduct a proper review to ascertain whether the registry is being sufficiently utilised and strengthen any gaps that may exist.

livern.barrett@gleanerjm.com