NEW YORK, USA — Jamaicans living in the United States have welcomed the American Government’s commitment to further assist with the island’s anti-crime fight, even as some questioned whether Jamaica will be subjected to reciprocal measures.

“There have been concerns about illegal guns coming into the country from the United States for several years now. Any assistance from the US to help solve this problem is most welcome,” said Iwrine Clare Sr, who heads Caribbean Immigration Service.

Clare Sr was responding to the commitment made by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio during his one-day working visit to Jamaica on Wednesday.

After holding bilateral talks with Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness, Rubio announced at a news conference that the US wants to do more to assist in Jamaica’s fight against crime.

Acknowledging that many of the guns used to commit crimes in Jamaica are purchased in the US and shipped here, Rubio said, “We want to commit to doing more to stopping that flow at the same time as we commit to increasing the capacity [of Jamaica].

“What we are talking about here when we talk about American assistance is America helping Jamaica build its own capacity, its own ability to confront these challenges and solve these problems, because security is a baseline for everything,” Rubio explained.

He also announced that the Joint Operations Linked to Telemarketing (JOLT) — a collaborative effort between US and Jamaican law enforcement agencies which tackles lottery scamming and cybercrime — will be strengthened.

“We can announce synthetics detection equipment for Jamaica’s forensic labs, a counter-gang recruitment programme that we seek to launch as a result of our visit here today. And I will announce something that I think is very important — software for law enforcement [agencies] here in Jamaica to combat gangs. Things like night vision goggles technology, and we look to do more,” Rubio said after earlier saying that Jamaica is one of the USA’s most steadfast partners in the Caribbean.

While hailing the pledge of assistance, Clare Sr noted that the talks between Holness and Rubio were bilateral, “so it would be interesting to know what, if anything, is expected from Jamaica in return”.

A similar concern was expressed by Dr Allan Cunningham, a university lecturer and former Global Jamaica Diaspora Council representative for the Southern US, based in Florida.

Cunningham said that he would urge Prime Minister Holness to “put everything on the table as a matter of transparency”. At the same time he posited that “whatever help the country can get with its crime-fighting measures should be welcomed, especially as it relates to illegal guns and ammunition entering the country”.

Dr Rupert Francis, head of the Diaspora Task Force on Crime Intervention and Prevention, said Rubio’s commitment “is long overdue as far as stemming the flow of weapons into the island is concerned”.

He described Rubio as straightforward and upfront, adding that he believes the US secretary of state will follow through on whatever commitments he has made.

Hospital secretary Carlene McIntosh, in New York, was happy and hopeful for the promise made by Secretary Rubio.

“The hope is that we will see a significant reduction in the number of illegal weapons from the United States into Jamaica soon,” she said.

Dr Robert Clarke, co-founder and president of Help Jamaica Medical Mission, described Rubio’s commitment as a big relief.

“Many Jamaicans here have long hoped that this would be done. It is significant that he (Rubio) admitted that the majority of the guns flowing into Jamaica are from the United States,” said Dr Clarke, who lives in New Jersey.

Former ambassador and deputy permanent representative of Jamaica to the United Nations with special responsibility for security council affairs Curtis Ward also welcomed the pledge of assistance from the Donald Trump Administration.

“It is reassuring to learn from Secretary Rubio that security-related programmes, including intelligence capacity building, would continue and possibly [be] enhanced,” he said.

However, he advised, “We have to analyse what Secretary Rubio had to say on the issues he covered, including what may have been inferred, not just from what he said, but what he omitted.”

“Specifically on security assistance, including tackling gang violence, there were heightened concerns that there would be cuts in the Caribbean Basin Initiative programme, as was done in President Trump’s first budget in 2017. Near full funding was returned by a friendly Congress at the time,” Ward said.