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Jamaica Refused Entry to 507 Persons, Deported 138

By: , April 28, 2017

The Key Point:

A total of 507 persons were refused entry into the island and 138 others were deported for the period April 2016 to March 31, 2017, as the Government continues to implement measures to protect the country’s borders.

The Facts

  • This was disclosed by Minister of National Security, Hon. Robert Montague, during his contribution to the 2017/18 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives on Wednesday (April 26).
  • He noted that billions of dollars were invested in the acquisition of two ships and a surveillance plane.

The Full Story

A total of 507 persons were refused entry into the island and 138 others were deported for the period April 2016 to March 31, 2017, as the Government continues to implement measures to protect the country’s borders.

This was disclosed by Minister of National Security, Hon. Robert Montague, during his contribution to the 2017/18 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives on Wednesday (April 26).

He also informed that the Ministry has introduced facial recognition software into its passport application process, which has identified 473 multiple passport holders, of which 73 are already before the courts.

“We have increased the number of immigration officers. We will introduce online passport application, e-passports and e-gate for landing in the near future. We have increased cooperation with our partners and upped the use of international watch lists,” Mr. Montague said.

He noted that billions of dollars were invested in the acquisition of two ships and a surveillance plane.

“We have seen dividends already where, recently, three ships illegally fishing in our waters have been boarded. We have chased go-fast boats out of our space,” he pointed out.

Turning to the area of terrorism, Minister Montague told the House that the antiterrorism laws will be amended and a consultant engaged to write a terrorist response manual.

“We have already started to harden our defences, rearrange soft targets and have invested heavily in our intelligence network. We increased information sharing with our partners and have begun to actively work on more bilateral agreements,” he indicated.

He said that the Government is taking terrorism seriously and has started the training of police officers.

“We assure this House that much work is taking place, but we cannot go into much detail,” he pointed out.

Last Updated: May 2, 2017

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