Jamaica remittances

BREAKING: The United Kingdom voted 52–48 to leave the European Union on 23 June 2016, sending shockwaves through British-Jamaican communities nine days before this edition publishes. We report from a Q2 2016 that also brought the 7th Biennial Jamaica Diaspora Conference, Jamaica’s JLP election victory under PM Holness, and the final furlong of the Obama presidency as the Trump nomination looms.

The quarterly intelligence report on Jamaica’s global diaspora for January–March 2016: Jamaica’s JLP wins the February 25 general election by a single seat, returning Andrew Holness to the prime ministership; Barack Obama makes a historic visit to Cuba in March; the Brexit referendum campaign reaches its peak intensity as the June 23 vote approaches; and Donald Trump’s march through the Republican primaries alarms Jamaican-American communities.

The quarterly intelligence report on Jamaica’s global diaspora for October–December 2015: the Paris attacks of 13 November reframe immigration debates across both sides of the Atlantic; Justin Trudeau’s election as Canadian Prime Minister on 19 October brings a change of tone for Jamaican-Canadian communities; Jamaica’s February 2016 general election looms; and Christmas remittances close a positive year for Jamaica’s financial inflows from the diaspora.

The Jamaica Diaspora Annual Roundup for 2015: David Cameron wins an unexpected UK Conservative majority in May; the European migrant and refugee crisis reshapes the continent’s politics; the Paris attacks of 13 November kill 130 people; Baltimore erupts after Freddie Gray’s death in police custody; the Iran nuclear deal is reached; and Jamaica’s Andrew Holness prepares to lead the JLP into the next election cycle.

The quarterly intelligence report on Jamaica’s global diaspora for July–September 2015: Usain Bolt and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce lead Jamaica’s dominant performance at the IAAF World Championships in Beijing; Pope Francis makes a historic US visit addressing immigration with moral force; the Syrian refugee crisis peaks with Mediterranean crossings exceeding one million; and Jamaica’s economy continues its IMF-supported stabilisation.

The quarterly intelligence report on Jamaica’s global diaspora for April–June 2015: the Charleston church massacre of 17 June shocks the Caribbean-American community and re-energises the Black Lives Matter movement; the UK’s surprise Conservative majority election result has significant implications for British-Jamaican communities; Baltimore’s unrest following Freddie Gray’s death; and Jamaica’s athletics programme builds toward Beijing.

The quarterly intelligence report on Jamaica’s global diaspora for January–March 2015: Obama’s executive action on immigration (DAPA) faces court challenges; US–Cuba normalisation produces Caribbean ripple effects; the Charlie Hebdo attacks in Paris reframe security and immigration debates; Ferguson’s aftermath drives community engagement; and the approaching UK election brings the Brexit referendum commitment into sharp focus.

The quarterly intelligence report on Jamaica’s global diaspora for October–December 2014: President Obama announces landmark executive actions on immigration (DACA expansion and DAPA) on 20 November; the Ferguson and Eric Garner grand jury non-indictments produce nationwide protest and the rapid growth of Black Lives Matter; Obama announces the normalisation of US–Cuba relations on 17 December; and Christmas remittances close a strong year.

The second five-year retrospective of the Jamaica Diaspora & Returnee Update series surveys 2010–2014: the Haiti earthquake triggers the diaspora’s largest humanitarian mobilisation; the Dudus extradition crisis tests Jamaica’s governance standing; the UK enters an era of austerity under Cameron; the 4th, 5th, and 6th Biennial conferences deepen the framework; London 2012 delivers Bolt’s second triple gold; Simpson Miller returns then leaves government; and remittances recover and grow to US$2.1 billion.

The Jamaica Diaspora Annual Roundup for 2014: the 6th Biennial Jamaica Diaspora Conference deepens institutional ties; the Ebola crisis in West Africa tests global humanitarian response; Scotland votes No to independence in September; the Ferguson shooting of Michael Brown sparks a national reckoning on race and policing; ISIS declares a caliphate; and Jamaica’s economic reform continues under IMF pressure.

The quarterly intelligence report on Jamaica’s global diaspora for July–September 2014: chikungunya virus spreads through Jamaica and the Caribbean in a major public health emergency; Ebola in West Africa dominates global health news; Jamaica’s athletes perform strongly at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games; Scotland votes 55–45 against independence; Michael Brown’s shooting in Ferguson triggers nationwide protest; and ISIS declares an Islamic State.

The quarterly intelligence report on Jamaica’s global diaspora for April–June 2014: the 6th Biennial Jamaica Diaspora Conference convenes in June, producing a landmark set of working group commitments; chikungunya arrives in Jamaica from the Eastern Caribbean; the FIFA World Cup opens in Brazil; comprehensive immigration reform stalls definitively in the US House; and the Iraq crisis produces a surge of global instability.

The quarterly intelligence report on Jamaica’s global diaspora for January–March 2014: Malaysia Airlines MH370 disappears on 8 March in an aviation mystery unprecedented in the modern era; Russia annexes Crimea in March triggering the gravest East–West crisis since the Cold War; the 6th Biennial Jamaica Diaspora Conference approaches in June; and the US immigration reform debate moves toward executive action as the legislative path narrows.

The quarterly intelligence report on Jamaica’s global diaspora for October–December 2013: Nelson Mandela dies on 5 December and the global African diaspora mourns the century’s greatest liberation leader; the US government shutdown of October 1–16 demonstrates the dysfunction threatening immigration reform; and Christmas remittances close a resilient year for Jamaica’s diaspora financial flows.

The Jamaica Diaspora Annual Roundup for 2013: Nelson Mandela dies on 5 December at age 95 and the world mourns; the Snowden NSA surveillance revelations shake trust in digital communications; Jamaica’s economy continues grinding IMF reform; the Syrian civil war produces the largest refugee crisis since World War Two; and the reparations debate gathers momentum in the Caribbean.