THEY HAVE been coming back in droves from supposed holiday stays overseas, but Children Services officials at the Health Ministry are reporting a massive jump in the number of children detained or deported from overseas over the Christmas period.
"Lots of children have been coming down, in fact for every day last week we had officers out at the airport (Kingston) and today (last Tuesday) we are expecting to receive five or six other children," one social worker explained.
Director of Jamaica's Child-ren's Services Division, Win-ston Bowen, also confirmed the significant increase which he said had been up especially 'over the last month or so'.
The Jamaican High Commis-sion in the United Kingdom report that, for the month of December 2002 alone, 14 children were removed to Jamaica, particularly from Heathrow where more flights from Jamaica are received.
"Reasons are not always specifically elaborated in each case," UK High Commission representative, Tracey Black-wood explained. "However, the High Commission has gathered that this Christmas period was particularly busy in respect of the numbers of unaccompanied minors who travel to the United Kingdom."
According to the officials, the children range in ages from toddlers to teenagers with the majority of the minors coming in from England.
One reason given by local personnel was that parents or relatives felt the immigration process for the United Kingdom was less of a hassle as no visa was required.
As such large groups of children were sent up on holiday excursions with proxy parents or guardians. Some were even sent unattended.
However, once the children arrived in the country they could be detained and returned for a number of reasons.
"There are a number of factors involved," Mr. Bowen said, "there may be times when the person who is supposed to collect the children at the airports, does not turn up, or it may be that the person (usually a relative) who shows up to receive them is not convincing enough so they are detained and returned to Jamaica."
Ms. Blackwood said further, "...normally, immigration officials have to be satisfied, particularly in these cases of minors, that the children are being handed over to reliable sponsors. In some cases, background checks are made.
"For example, if a parent is in the UK, the person would need to be legally settled. Sometimes, children may be travelling to reside without the relevant authorisation from the British High Commission in Jamaica. In these cases, the child would be returned to the country of origin."
Relatives and parents of the minors are then contacted and arrangements for reception are made for the return flight.
"The High Commission is usually involved in the case of minors being returned to Jamaica. Contact would then be made with the Children Services Division in Jamaica for investigations, reports on home circumstances and arrangements for reception. Usually arrangements are made by British immigration officials with parents or guardians to meet the children "
A social worker then has to contact relatives and make arrangements to meet the children at the airports or to have them transferred to places of safety.
"Ultimately the Government of Jamaica is responsible for Jamaican minors. However, once a Jamaican minor is refused entry to the UK, the UK Immigration and Nationality Service, Home Office makes arrangements with Social Services for their care until removal can be effected. Immigration authorities always have to be satisfied that there are adequate arrangements at the other end before deporting or removing the child. When this is not in place, liaison takes place with the High Commission for appropriate arrangements to be made at the receiving end."
Ms. Blackwood explained that minors who are refused entry are not usually detained except in cases where it is necessary to effect removal, if a parent is with the child and it would be inappropriate to separate mother and child, or if the minor arrives unaccompanied late at night and Social Services is unable to accommodate. In either of these instances the child would then be detained overnight.
The Sunday Gleaner was unable to access information from United States immigration counterparts and was told that figures for deported minors for the same period was not available. In addition U.S. Public Affairs officer, Orna Blum, was reluctant to comment in the absence of the relevant statistics.
But according to data from one Human Rights Web site, the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) typically detains about 5,000 minors a year.
