Jamaican man found dead on Mexican street

The body of a man that was found on a street in Mexico has been confirmed to be a Jamaican, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has disclosed.

It's suspected that he was there to try to cross over into the United States (US) illegally.

Confirmation of the man's identity came this week from Mexican authorities, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Kamina Johnson Smith told journalists on Wednesday.

His name has not been released.

Johnson Smith said Jamaican authorities are working with the family to help with the repatriation of the body.

“These things are not a bed of roses. The stories that these scammers and smugglers sell to individuals in vulnerable communities shouldn't be trusted,” she said during the weekly post-Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House.

There has been a surge in the number of Jamaicans shelling out hundreds of thousands of dollars to make the dangerous trek to the US through countries like Mexico, Panama and Belize.

In 2020, a total of 4,467 Jamaicans travelled to Mexico.

A year later that number jumped by 68 per cent to 7,509.

In the first three months of last year, a total of 2,929 Jamaicans travelled to the North American country.

Johnson Smith said the Jamaican Government will not seek to close any port as part of the efforts to curb illegal migration.

Instead, she urged Jamaicans to “take a second and third thought before they make that decision.”

“There are real consequences to trying to enter the US illegally, or any other country for that matter,” she said.

The foreign affairs minister said the family of the deceased Jamaican man had no idea where he was.

“The persons who were supposedly travelling with him became uncontactable by the family,” she said, noting that there were also attempts by the Jamaican Embassy in Mexico to engage the assistance of authorities there.

- Livern Barrett

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