JFJ raises human rights concerns for TCNs in Jamaica

Executive Director of the human rights organization, Jamaicans for Justice, Mickel Jackson has taken issue with the role of the International Organization of Migration in the execution of the Memorandum of Understanding for Third country Nationals 

Jackson, speaking Monday on Radio Jamaica’s Beyond the Headlines, said  says there has been a shift in the stated role of the IOM from the initial statements the government made on the matter.

She said, based on her knowledge what obtained in other countries, “I find the language changing a bit regarding the involvement of the IOM, the agency that will be providing some support services. Now, that is different from saying that they were providing monitoring support, which is what the earlier language that was used by different members of the government, and that was an area of clarification that we had sought.”

She added that her understanding was that the IOM will be providing support in ensuring that housing needs of the TCNs are attended to, in partnership with the host government. 

That, she stressed, is different from providing independent human rights monitoring, “and that remains a huge gap for us because we have to ensure that the government is in compliance with our international laws that we are signatory to, as well as our domestic laws.”

She also restated the call for the MOU to be made public, as has been done in other jurisdictions that have entered into a similar arrangement with the United States.