MONTEGO BAY, St James – National Security Minister Dr Horace Chang is urging Caribbean leaders to swiftly put laws in place to stem the flood of illegal migration that blossomed in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Given the clear and present threat of these illegal migration practices to our people, we must undertake, as a matter of priority, the development of model legislation and a regional migration policy to assist in bringing greater structure to the governance framework for the movement of people across the region,” Dr Chang declared.

The minister was delivering the main address at the 26th Caricom Standing Committee of Chiefs of Immigration and Comptrollers of Customs (CICC) Meeting at the Montego Bay Convention Centre on Tuesday.

He wants to see seamless, legal, movement of Caricom nationals and has pointed to measures Jamaica has put in place as a blueprint for its neighbours to follow.

“Jamaica has taken action in this regard with the development of our first National Visa Policy. This was borne out of a broad-based consultative process, and is now at its final stages of development. In addition, work is underway to amend our immigration laws to support this strengthened regime,” he added.

Dr Chang noted that as people sought to escape “the harsh economic conditions that followed the halting of international travel and partial shutdown of the global economy”, illegal migration practices in the Americas increased exponentially after the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Caricom countries were similarly affected by the increased illegal migration trends. In 2022, the Joint Regional Communications Centre (JRCC) reported that there were human smuggling rings operating within the region, and those activities often resulted in multiple deaths at sea or while traversing smuggling routes in Central America,” he said.

On May 10, Foreign Affairs Minister Kamina Johnson Smith told a Cabinet press briefing that the body of a young man found on a street in Mexico had been identified as a Jamaican migrant who was trying to enter the United States (US) illegally. There has been a noticeable uptick in anecdotal evidence that Jamaicans are crossing the Mexican border into the US.

During the media briefing, Johnson Smith warned that “the stories that these scammers and smugglers sell to individuals in vulnerable communities should not be trusted. There are real consequences to trying to enter the US illegally, or any other country for that matter”.

She added: “We really encourage Jamaicans to take a second and a third thought before they take that decision.”

On Tuesday, Dr Chang also spoke about what comes after illegal migrants are nabbed, and stressed the need for regional agreement on next steps.

“Consistent with the thrust to have greater security and safety standards among Caricom nations, there is the need for a universal approach to treat with the readmission and reintegration of Involuntarily Returned Migrants (IRMs),” he argued.

“The involuntary return of migrants from third states remains a matter of discussion in Caricom. Receiving updates from the Deportation Sub-Committee is therefore critical to improving our processes for readmission and reintegration of these nationals,” the minister added.

Also speaking during day one of the three-day event, Earl Harris, assistant director of the Caricom Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS), revealed that in the coming days the discussions will include a look at how data from legal travel can be used to boost efficiency and security.

“The efficient management of our borders is vital for the security and well-being of our countries and the implementation of a PNR [Passenger Name Record] represents a significant step towards achieving this goal,” Harris stated.

“Also, by collecting and analysing data on travel patterns and behaviours, PNR can provide invaluable information and intelligence that allows us to identify potential threats, detect criminal activities and combat terrorism and trafficking of persons. This requires collective effort and commitment to cooperation. We must establish seamless information-sharing mechanisms, both nationally and regionally.”

Dr Chang urged delegates to maximise the opportunity to advance the implementation of recommended standards and practices for passenger data exchange, such as the PNR and Advance Passenger Information.

“This will improve the connection of ports within the region. Critical to the success of these initiatives however, we must have agreement on the mechanisms to support data collection, information security, and minimum standards for the governance and controls to support the sharing of information. Our minimum standards must be guided by global standards for the rights of data subjects,” the security minister urged.