AIRLINE officials operating out of Jamaica claim there is a downturn in the trafficking of illegal aliens seeking to get overseas via Jamaica.Airlines, facing a hefty fine per illegal alien it transports overseas, say greater scrutiny of travellers' documents by immigration officials here have reduced the traffic considerably.
Air Canada said last week that the fine for transporting illegal aliens is Cdn$2,400 per person intercepted. While unable to say how much has been paid in fines this year, in 1998 the airline paid Cn$240,000 for transporting 100 illegal aliens in the five years between 1993 and 1998.
The fines, which eat into airlines' operations costs, have forced greater scrutiny of documents by airline and immigration officials.
"We are catching a lot here at the ports, so that there isn't a lot going up," Cheryll Thwaites, Air Canada's acting general manager, said on Thursday.
"There is now training by the Canadian High Commission here, and the local Jamaican authorities are very, very helpful. But, I don't think it has been as bad as some years. There is less of a flow."
Heavy trafficking, she explained, is seasonal.
"We have large movement sometimes, not with the local (people) but a large global movement (non-Jamaicans)... We have a lot out of China, and Afghanistan who use Jamaica as a port," she said.
She also explained that Air Canada officials were not as familiar with documents from the Far East, and individuals with fraudulent documents from those countries were likely to escape being caught. Local immigration officials are called when there is doubt.
"If there is anything that we have questions about...we are not Immigration officers...we do not have the equipment they have or the knowledge. So we call the local immigration people and they have been very helpful," Ms. Thwaites said.
Major John Sinclair, Air Jamaica's director of security, said the fine for transporting illegal aliens on Air Jamaica's aircraft is US$3,000 per person.
As a result, airline officials have increased the scrutiny of all documents presented.
"I would like to think that (the movement of illegal aliens) has slowed down tremendously. In fact there is a significant number of interdictions (arrests for presenting fraudulent documents) out of Kingston and Montego Bay," Major Sinclair said on Thursday.
Significantly less
According to him, locals are not the only ones attempting to use the different airlines to get out of Jamaica.
"A lot of Jamaicans try it...(leaving) and they are the ones you pick up with the fraudulent documents," he added.
Two years ago Air Jamaica incurred US$75,000 for trafficking illegal aliens. Figures since 1998 have been significantly less, although the specific amount could not be ascertained.
British Airways' Dianne Corrie said she could not give any specific information on the matter and referred queries to the British High Commission. On Thursday and Friday officials at the British High Commission could not be contacted.
The Sunday Gleaner's efforts to reach American Airlines General Manager Karl Barnett several times last week were unsuccessful.
Russell Bergeron, United States' Immigration and Natural-isation Services spokesman at its head office in Washington, said Jamaicans were not the only ones attempting entry into the U.S. with fraudulent documents.
Where fraudulent documents have been used to transport persons, individuals and airlines have been fined. He promised information detailing offences, and fines applicable, but it was not received up to Friday.
E.V.
