JAMAICA: WORKING HAND IN GLOVE LEADS TO CUFFS

C O N F I D E N T I A L KINGSTON 000495 SIPDIS DEPT PASS EC CARICOM COLLECTIVE PRIORITY FOR INFO STATE FOR WHA/CAR (RALVARADO) (VDEPIRRO) (WSMITH) DEPT FOR CA/FPP DEPT PASS TO KCC INR/RES (RWARNER) E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/19/2019 TAGS: CVIS CPAS CMGT SOCI PREL KFRD KCRM ASEC JM XL SUBJECT: JAMAICA: WORKING HAND IN GLOVE LEADS TO CUFFS REF: KINGSTON 253 Classified By: Lloyd Moss for reasons 1.4 (b and d) ¶1. (C) Thanks to a long-standing partnership with the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS),Kingston Fraud Prevention Unit (FPU) has assisted in the location and arrest of several fugitives in Jamaica. In accordance with Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) section 222f to further the administration and enforcement of U.S. laws, the FPU and USMS at Post have forged a strong partnership. ¶2. (C) The USMS provides FPU with information on Jamaican criminals while FPU in turn provides relevant biographical data found in the Consular Consolidated Database (CCD). This hand in glove relationship has resulted in the entry of over five hundred new CLASS entries in the past three months and the arrest of nine fugitives during the past two weeks. Post would like to commend U.S. Marshals Service Country Attache Charlie Ahmad for his extraordinary effort on this project and cooperation with FPU. ¶3. (C) Jamaica's proximity to the USA and extensive economic and social ties make it a popular hideout for criminals wanted there. Jamaica's depressed economic conditions and the presence of the drug trade contribute to transnational crime that adversely affects U.S. national security interests. Embassy Kingston is one of only four posts that currently benefit from an onsite U.S. Marshals presence. The USMS Jamaica Field Office focuses on subjects wanted in the U.S., but for the first time has integrated its efforts to focus on criminals wanted in Jamaica as part of this year's fugitive round up Infra-Red. ¶4. (C) In preparation for this fugitive roundup, the USMS Jamaica Field Office provided FPU with a list of fugitives wanted in the USA and Jamaica. Post's FPU ran the list through the CCD's Facial Recognition On Demand, Text Search, and Consular Affairs Lookup tools to provide photos, addresses, and contact details found in Non-Immigrant Visa applications. This strategy has assisted the USMS in identifying and tracking persons of interest in the USA and Jamaica. This symbiotic relationship with the USMS enhances Post's ability to protect our borders by ensuring visas are not issued to known fugitives and has successfully led to the apprehension of criminals. Post's FPU looks forward to the continued assistance of the USMS in our fraud prevention efforts. MOSS