Jamaica’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has disclosed that a Jamaican man was found dead on a street in Mexico.
The name of the man has not been released.
It is suspected that the Jamaican was attempting to cross over into the United States illegally.
According to Kamina Johnson Smith, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, the identification of the man was confirmed by Mexican officials this week.
The minister shared that Jamaican authorities are collaborating with the family to help with the repatriation of the body.
“These things are not a bed of roses. The stories that these scammers and smugglers sell to individuals in vulnerable communities shouldn’t be trusted,” Johnson Smith said during the weekly post-Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House.
Reports are that there has been an increase in the number of Jamaicans paying hundreds of thousands of dollars to journey to the US illegally via countries like Mexico, Panama, and Belize.
According to Johnson Smith, the Jamaican government will not attempt to close any port. However, she advised Jamaicans to think before making that choice.
“There are real consequences to trying to enter the US illegally, or any other country for that matter,” she said.
