ONCE a sanctuary for expelled migrants seeking support and resources to help them reintegrate into Jamaican society, the National Organisation for Deported Migrants (NODM) has been reduced to little more than a transportation service for returnees as dwindling funds cripple its operations.

Chairman Dr Jaslin Salmon explained that the non-governmental organisation, established in 2009, had primarily benefited from grants ranging between $7 million and $10 million provided by the British High Commission in Jamaica — between 2011 and 2019 — under its Rehabilitation and Reintegration Programme. These funds were directed towards supporting migrants deported from Britain. However, a shift in British Government policy later brought about changes to the programme.

“The [British] Government decided that it would not fund [support for deported migrants] through the British High Commission but that it would provide funding directly from the Home Office in Britain. As such, the Home Office established a process of bidding for the project [funding], and we were not successful in getting the grant through the bidding process,” said Salmon.

He said since then, NODM — which provides support for Jamaicans deported from the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom — has not had the level of financial support needed to maintain its programme, which has helped more than 6,000 deportees to date.

The chairman stated that while the British High Commission in Jamaica still provides some level of support for motor vehicle maintenance, NODM is unable to provide the resources it did when it first opened its doors.

“We would provide them with food items. If they needed clothing, we’d provide some clothing for them. We would make sure that they see their doctor and get their doctor’s appointments. If they needed transportation to anywhere in Jamaica that they needed to go to stay with their relatives, we transport them there at no cost to them, and we would provide ongoing food supply for them on a regular basis. We’d also have workshops for them to help them learn about Jamaica and how to manage their existence in Jamaica.

SALMON… those Jamaicans who are deported are in difficult circumstances and the best we can do, as Jamaicans, is to provide whatever support we can to help them to adjust

“We would help them to get all the support they needed to find jobs. For example, we’d have job training programmes for them and we would help them to find psychological or psychiatric support for those who need it. So there was a wide range of support we’d provide to them that we’re not able to do at this point because we don’t have the resources… The only support we’re able to provide right now is transportation and meeting them at the airport,” Salmon told the Jamaica Observer.

He added that NODM would also assist returnees with temporary housing, as well as work with government agencies to assist them in gaining the relevant documentation and identification needed for reintegration. However, these services have also been halted.

The organisation is now appealing for $3 million in funding to keep its services running for the next six months, especially as Jamaica braces to receive 2,500 deported migrants from the United States this year — a sharp increase compared to last year’s 323, according to the Planning Institute of Jamaica’s Economic and Social Survey for 2024.

Salmon said the influx of deported migrants from the United States has placed an even greater burden on the organisation than in the past.

According to Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Senator Kamina Johnson Smith, the timeline for the return of migrants will be determined by logistics, legal processes, and other factors. Over the period 2020 to 2024 a total of 2,843 Jamaicans were forcibly returned from the United States.

The Cabinet has approved a coordinated Deportation Response Action Plan and established a multi-agency working group amid concerns surrounding public safety in relation to the deportation of people to Jamaica with criminal backgrounds. The technical working group comprises representatives from key ministries, as well as law enforcement, social support agencies, and civil society. It is tasked with delivering a streamlined response plan.

The Involuntary Returned Migrants (IRM) Project, which falls under the Ministry of National Security and was established in 2008, facilitates the reception, reintegration, and rehabilitation of deported Jamaicans.

“We only provide minimal support for people from the United States, but now that the numbers have increased significantly and we are looking at 30 to 50 per month over the last couple of months, we just cannot meet that need at all. We’re just unable to meet that need. The board has been meeting and looking at ways to raise additional funds, and so that’s our main target right now, it’s fund-raising to ramp up the programmes that we had at one point,” Salmon told the Sunday Observer.

He noted that the COVID-19 pandemic was a major factor that affected the programme, and since then financial challenges have worsened. He shared that the organisation has seven board members and they have since been footing the bill for expenses. They are also contemplating increasing the board seats to nine.

An illegal alien boards a plane for a removal flight from the United States.

In the meantime, Salmon said that while deported migrants often have an associated stigma of causing chaos when they return home, much of the belief is a myth, and he urged both the private and public sectors to support the NODM’s cause.

“Most of them who get deported are deported for immigration violations, not because of criminal activities. There are some who are returned because of criminal activities, but many of them are returned because of immigration violations. I would say to those who have a negative response to them that, ‘You must understand that these are Jamaicans, and our concern as humanitarians must be for Jamaicans who are in a difficult situation.’

“These are people who, some of them are deported because of things that they’ve done, others are deported because of minor violations, but whatever it is, we must understand that all of us sometimes face difficult circumstances, whether it is by our own doing or by others.

“All of us face difficult circumstances, and on those occasions we need support. And at this point I’m saying those Jamaicans who are deported are in difficult circumstances and the best we can do, as Jamaicans, is to provide whatever support we can to help them to adjust to an environment which they must adjust to,” said Salmon.