Prime Minister Andrew Holness held talks with United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Saturday.

According to the US Embassy in a statement, the pair during a call discussed “ongoing US assistance in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa and shared regional priorities.”

The Embassy said Rubio reaffirmed US support for Jamaica’s recovery and reconstruction following the devastation to sections of the island by the Category 5 storm in October of last year.

It added that Rubio thanked Prime Minister Holness “for his leadership as a strong and reliable regional security partner. ‘

“He also congratulated Prime Minister Holness on Jamaica’s significant reduction in the number of crimes in 2025 and underscored shared concerns about drug and firearms trafficking, narco-terrorists, and transnational crime, and the importance of continued security cooperation,” the US Embassy said.

The talks were held against the background of regional tensions over the recent US military intervention in Venezuela which led to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

Jamaica was among 12 Caribbean Community (Caricom) countries, included among 75 nations worldwide, slapped with a suspension US immigrant visa processing.

READ: Jamaica among 75 countries hit with suspension of US immigrant visa processing

Guyana, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago were the only Caribbean countries not included in the latest US visa policy.