Jamaica’s government has announced that two of its citizens, who were recently deported by the United States to the African kingdom of Eswatini, have formally declined offers to be repatriated to Jamaica.
Background
The Jamaican Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the men were advised of the consular assistance available to them and of the government’s readiness to facilitate their return to Jamaica. However, both men maintained that they did not wish to return to Jamaica.
Contact was established through the Jamaican Consulate in Miami and a legal adviser representing the men. The Jamaican government had made diplomatic inquiries to U.S. officials in Washington and formal representations to Eswatini’s government through Jamaica’s diplomatic mission in Pretoria, South Africa.
The U.S. government’s practice of deporting individuals to third countries has been widely criticized by lawyers and human rights groups. Eswatini is a small kingdom bordering South Africa where the king holds absolute power and has been accused of suppressing pro-democracy movements.
A similar case occurred last year when a Jamaican national, Orville Etoria, was deported to Eswatini. He was later repatriated to Jamaica with the help of the International Organization for Migration.
Original reporting: KTBS 3 (Shreveport) — read the source article.
