Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Senator Kamina Johnson Smith has batted for formal pathways for migration as the number of people traversing Central America to get to the United States has increased.

The minister who was speaking during a recent high-level meeting in Guatemala, where she joined Foreign Affairs Ministers and other senior government officials from some 20 countries for discussions on migration across Latin America and the Caribbean emphasised that there are benefits to be derived from legitimate migration.

“By creating legal avenues for safe and orderly migration, we can reduce the incidence of irregular migration, combat human trafficking and smuggling while harnessing the potential of migrants as contributors to our societies and economies,” Senator Johnson Smith said.

She also underscored Jamaica’s commitment in advancing the Los Angeles Declaration on Migration and Protection adopted in June 2022, during the ninth Summit of the Americas in California.  The declaration builds on internationally adopted principles and instruments, including the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration.

Jamaica is one of five Caribbean territories endorsing the declaration along with some 22 other countries. The other regional states are Barbados, Belize, Guyana and Haiti.

According to the United Nation’s International Organization for Migration, over 25 million migrants  from Latin America and the Caribbean made the journey north and were residing in Northern America. The Latin American and Caribbean population living in Northern America has increased considerably over time, from an estimated 10 million in 1990. 

Senator Johnson Smith also highlighted the significance and importance of the Jamaican Diaspora to the island’s development.

“The diaspora has always been integral to our socio-economic development through their invaluable contributions to critical sectors such as health and education, their investments and skills transfers, as well as remittances which account for a significant percentage of the country’s GDP,” she pointed out.