New York, USA — Fear bordering on panic has spread to communities of Jamaicans across the United States, touching even some with green cards who are terrified they could be swept up in President Donald Trump’s sweeping deportation raids.

Jamaican leaders and immigration attorneys here who spoke with the Jamaica Observer have been at pains to reassure obviously stressed out migrants that they have nothing to fear if they are properly documented.

“I have been receiving many calls from people, some of whom are legal green card holders, expressing deep concerns about what is taking place,” said Rick Nugent, board chairman of the umbrella National Association of Jamaican and Supportive Organizations (NAJASO).

“Some are literally scared to go about their normal business and there are reports of people not showing up for work. There is one particular situation where a tenant who is awaiting a response from immigration authorities regarding an application for permanent residency is afraid of remaining at her current address,” said Nugent, who is also president of the Jamaica Association of Maryland (JAM).

President Trump, as he signalled during the November 2024 election campaign, has ordered that undocumented migrants be removed from the US. Since then social media has been awash with horror stories of people being randomly picked up by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Asked why Jamaicans with permanent residency status would be worried, Nugent suggested that some green card holders were also concerned about what might happen when they are required to renew their cards.

“It is possible that some may have committed misdemeanours a long time ago but suffered no punishment, hence the current concern if they were caught up in an immigration raid,” he told the Observer. “Some of these fears may be unfounded.”

Dr Karren Dunkley, a former head of the Global Jamaica Diaspora Council for the Northeast US, confirmed there was “deep concern among some Jamaicans over the deportation issue”.

“There are reports of nervousness and fear, including among people with applications awaiting decisions for permanent residents status,” the social activist added.

In New York, Ronnie Hammick, president, Ex-Correctional Officers Association of Jamaica, said the heightened level of fear was obvious not only among some within the Jamaican community but also among Caribbean nationals on a whole.

Caribbean Community (Caricom) leaders last Wednesday agreed at their Heads of Government Conference in Bridgetown, Barbados to accept their deported nationals residing illegally in the United States.

“I think we have an obligation to accept our citizens who are deported, at the end of the day. We cannot make them stateless,” declared Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda Gaston Browne.

“We just have to make sure that there’s collaboration at the regional level to ensure that those involved in criminal activities, that they do not get the opportunity to travel freely within this the Caricom space and to create problems for us,” added Browne.

St Kitts and Nevis Foreign Affairs Minister Dr Denzil Douglas said the Caribbean, like the rest of the world, was “waiting to see the unfolding of the new Administration in the United States”.

“Of course, there are some immediate areas that we have… to look at,” Douglas said, making reference to the immigration issues and the mass movement of people out of the United States back to the Caribbean.

“We’re asking for the public protocols to be established and pursued as we would have done in the past, where names of prospective immigrants would be sent to us or the police,” he urged, noting that the names could also be submitted to countries’ missions in Washington, processed, and then the appropriate action taken.

Speaking to the Observer from New York, Hammick argued that the situation in which Caribbean migrants had found themselves in the US had worsened since New York City Mayor Eric Adams decided to co-operate with the Trump Administration by allowing ICE officers to operate freely in the city.

New York is one of several so-called sanctuary cities which provide assistance, such as shelter, to migrants seeking asylum and fleeing civil war and other atrocities.

California-based Dr Chauna Chin, the Global Jamaica Diaspora representative for the West-Midwest US, has also seen evidence of “the fear and concern among some Jamaicans here”. So too have Diaspora activists Dr Rupert Francis and Irwine Clare. Clare, however, suggested that people who had not committed any crime should not have anything to fear. He also reiterated long-standing advice that people who qualify should take the necessary steps to become citizens.

In urging calm, Florida-based Wayne Golding and Winston Tucker of New York, two leading immigration attorneys serving Caribbean nationals, said many of the concerns and fear are being fuelled by misinformation and a lack of understanding being spread across social media platforms.

Tucker pushed back against the claim that Jamaicans who are US citizens could face problems returning to the country after travelling abroad, saying, “That is just not true.

“Not all conditions put one in a position for removal, as the law must and will recognise each particular situation. Green card holders who commit themselves may have reason to be concerned but they should remember that there is due process, so I see no need to panic,” said the attorney.

Golding, too, acknowledged that while the possibility of deportation might be cause for concern for some, there is no need to panic. He urged those with a criminal history to “turn the light off themselves”.

Golding cautioned undocumented migrants who have children born in the US that they could be deported if held and so should put plans in place to adequately care for their offspring should they decide not to have the child or children accompany them back to their countries of origin.

He further advised Jamaican green card holders to always carry their cards on them, noting that, “It is, in fact, a requirement and a misdemeanour for you not to do so.”

Suggesting action over fear and panic, Vanessa Myrie, the Global Jamaica Diaspora Council youth representative for the US West, has released an eight-page advisory on how undocumented Jamaicans can protect themselves under existing laws.

The document entitled ‘Navigating Changes in Immigration Policy and Protecting Your Rights’, covers a wide range of topics such as what to do if confronted by immigration officers at home; creating contingency plans to care for children; keeping proper and up-to-date documents; and avoiding unnecessary confrontation with law enforcement officers.

Rick Nugent

Ronnie Hammick

Dr Karren Dunkley