Amnesty International and the Global Detention Project have called on Mexico and Jamaica to enhance protections for migrant workers and reassess their detention practices, particularly in light of findings from the UN Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families. Amnesty International posits that Mexico and Jamaica must work towards renegotiating their bilateral labour migration agreement with Canada, aiming to offer migrant workers the ability to change employers and jobs freely, thereby reducing the potential for discrimination and labour exploitation.
The advocacy focuses on Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP), through which Mexican and Jamaican workers participate in the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program (SAWP). Approximately 26,000 Mexican workers and 8,000 Jamaican workers participated in the SAWP in 2024. Abuses reported include wage theft, excessive working hours, and unsafe conditions. These issues are attributed to Canada’s immigration policies and the framework of the TFWP, which Amnesty International claims prevent migrant workers from effectively escaping or mitigating such exploitation.
Mexico and Jamaica’s compliance with Article 64 of the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families was highlighted, emphasizing the necessity of fair and humane conditions for all migrant workers.
The Global Detention Project has concentrated its efforts on the detention systems in Jamaica and Mexico. The organization has urged the UN Committee to review Mexico’s Multi-service Centres’ functionality and the conditions offered to released detainees, particularly emphasizing the experiences of child migrants. In Jamaica, the Project advocates for transparency regarding detention facilities for non-nationals and calls for an end to the detention of such individuals in prison facilities, urging reforms to immigration enforcement mechanisms.
The UN Committee, a 14-expert body tasked with implementing the Convention, has scheduled hearings featuring Mexico and Jamaica in its fortieth session, from April 7 to April 17, to address these pressing issues.