Cuban link
Refugees detained after landing in Montego Bay
Published:Monday | June 2, 2025 | 2:17 AMJanet Silvera/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
Six Cuban nationals, four men and two women, were last night placed in police custody in Montego Bay, St James, after arriving in Jamaica illegally by boat on Sunday afternoon.
The group came ashore at Harvey Beach in Rose Hall, St James, aboard a small vessel.
Senior Superintendent of Police Eron Samuels, head of the St James Police Division, confirmed the arrest and said the individuals are to be processed by the relevant authorities.
Their arrival adds to a growing number of undocumented migrants turning to Jamaica as a transit point or refuge amid worsening crises in parts of the Caribbean.
The Cubans’ perilous journey mirrors what has become the most significant wave of emigration from that island in recent history.
Between 2021 and 2024, more than 850,000 Cubans, nearly eight per cent of the population, have reportedly fled the country, primarily due to an unrelenting economic crisis marked by shortages of food, fuel, and medicine, along with deepening political repression.
LAST RESORT
A recent Associated Press report noted that conditions worsened significantly after Hurricane Rafael struck western Cuba in late 2024, causing widespread destruction to homes and the power grid. For many, the journey north or to nearby islands has become a last resort.
While Sunday’s incident involved Cubans, the majority of recent undocumented migrants arriving in Jamaica have been Haitians. Just last month, The Gleaner reported that 42 Haitian nationals, including children and a pregnant woman, landed in Portland. Their repatriation was swift, drawing condemnation from rights groups.
Freedom Imaginaries and Jamaicans for Justice (JFJ) accused the Jamaican Government of violating international law by engaging in what they termed “collective expulsions” without properly assessing asylum claims. In a letter to the editor, published in The Gleaner, one writer argued that the repatriations defy the 1951 Refugee Convention, which prohibits returning individuals to danger, a principle known as non-refoulement.
Senator Kamina Johnson Smith, minister of foreign affairs and foreign trade, responded by affirming that Jamaica complies with its refugee protocols and that repatriations are conducted in coordination with the Haitian government.
“We treat all individuals with dignity,” she said in an October 2024 article published by The Gleaner, insisting that the Government’s approach is both legal and humane.
As regional migration intensifies, calls for greater cooperation and policy clarity are growing louder. In a May 25 Gleaner op-ed, educator and commentator Dennis Minott chastised the Jamaican Government for “barring the door” to Haitians.
“Our response should reflect the solidarity that has historically defined Caribbean relations,” he wrote.
While the country waits until today for an official position regarding the fate of the six Cubans detained in Montego Bay, their case could reignite debate around Jamaica’s role in the unfolding regional migration crisis.