Gov’t to undertake immigration sensitisation campaign for Jamaicans in US

The Government will be hosting a series of sensitisation campaigns in vulnerable communities across the United States with large Jamaican populations aimed at educating nationals about immigration and deportation matters, starting Tuesday, March 3.

These campaign activities will be led by the Embassy of Jamaica in Washington, in collaboration with the Consulates General in New York and Miami, under the theme: “Immigration Empowerment: Promoting awareness and reducing vulnerabilities among migrants.”

“In supporting our nationals in the diaspora, this launch will seek to build awareness in the population on the critical changes to immigration policies which are being introduced. This should help their understanding of and compliance with these laws. This is in keeping with our mandate to help protect the well-being of the Jamaican diaspora,” said Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Kamina Johnson Smith, in a statement.

“In seeking to reduce the high numbers of persons that are deported from the USA on a yearly basis, the programme is designed as a strategic empowerment mechanism to raise awareness among targeted Jamaican nationals and migrants,” she added.

Johnson Smith also indicated that the general Jamaican populace who are considering or awaiting emigration proceedings such as migration to the US for residence, visiting family as a tourist, working, studies, conducting business or shopping trips, participation in sporting activities, medical referrals or health consultations will all benefit from this targeted educational focus.

It was outlined that the programme will seek to not only provide relevant information and perspectives about the changing immigration environment in the US, but also equip Jamaicans with the tools needed to improve their immigration status and encourage immigration best practices.

The campaign will kick off with a pre-launch and will culminate with activities such as town hall meetings, focus group discussions, radio and TV infomercials and social media campaigns in both Jamaica and the US.

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