Caribbean Review: Secretary Rubio’s Visit to Jamaica Marks Promising Shift in Relations
NATHAN HOWARD
The Caribbean, the so-called “third border”, has skyrocketed in importance to the United States’ foreign policy interests in the new era of the Second Trump administration. A couple months ago, one of the Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s initial foreign trips was made in the Caribbean that included visits to Jamaica, Guyana and Suriname as a new chapter is marked in U.S.-Caribbean relations. Yet, Secretary Rubio focused much of his attention on Jamaica, praising the nation for their stalwart partnership with the United States but also pointing to several central issues within the Caribbean that Jamaica has the opportunity to emerge as a model above the rest. While global news is fixated on the Trump administration’s controversial tariff regime that is sending the world into imminent economic anguish, the Caribbean, an often overlooked region, is receiving the administration’s graces.
A Landmark Press Conference
During a press conference held on March 26th alongside Jamaican Prime Minister, Andrew Holness, Secretary Rubio went into considerable length discussing new developments from the United States regarding new information sharing commitments and new forms of technological aid to boost police forces. In addition, Secretary Rubio highlighted the astonishing progress that Jamaica has made in terms of curbing crime and violence in the country making a promise to review Jamaica’s travel advisory for the possibility of a revision, “to more accurately reflect the situation on the ground.” Compared to other stories and controversies swirling around the Trump administration’s new world outlook, critics like Wazim Mowla of the Atlantic Council agree that high-level government-to-government engagement is a great signal for increased attention yet the real progress must stem from public-private partnerships and motivating American investment in Jamaica.
In a response to a question from a Washington Post journalist, Secretary Rubio explained the Trump administration’s new vision for the role and execution of American foreign aid. As the Secretary explained the shortcomings of government agencies like USAID who outsource their assignments and funding to local NGOs to carry out, Rubio reiterated that direct government-to-government partnerships are needed to fixate on shared priorities instead of abandoning them in the red tape of the bureaucracy. Prime Minister Holness also praised the United States’ new focus in the region, calling the nation “a lead partner” on issues such as the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative and the effort to address gangs in Haiti.
The Push for Reform in Jamaica
In Jamaica, the situation regarding crime and violence can be illustrated with the nation’s impressive declining murder rate. Amidst a region facing peril in the fight against drug traffickers as in French Guiana or powerful gang leaders such as in Trinidad and Tobago or Haiti, Jamaica is an anomaly. With a murder rate that saw a 19% decrease in 2024, Prime Minister Holness has emphasized this progress even despite being short of his government’s long-term goals. In previous speeches, the Prime Minister has been alerted to the fact that gangs and posses like that of Renkers pose a direct threat to the very existence of his state, unfortunately using Haiti as a stark reality of what could happen if the gangs are allowed to expand and solidify their presence. But Jamaica’s progress has congruently prompted State Department officials to review their evaluation of Jamaica’s safety travel advisory that the Department makes to all Americans traveling abroad.
Given that the main lifeline of most Caribbean economies is the tourism industry, with a majority portion of Caribbean visitors being American, the State Department’s downgrade from a Level 3 advisory: Reconsider Travel due to crime levels to a Level 2 advisory: Exercise Increased Precautions, would be expected to boost investment and tourism levels. While the United States seems poised to introduce more lax travel advisories into some areas of the Caribbean, countries like Cuba and Trinidad and Tobago face stricter advisories that are expected to heighten both diplomatic and economic tensions. Contrary to the United States’ goals of critically engaging with the Caribbean in a more serious manner, travel advisories play a critical role in the level of engagement that can occur as many look to bring them to the table as bargaining chips for higher levels of engagement.
Jamaica’s Emergence as a Logistics Hub
While tourism plays a consistently significant role in the success of Caribbean economies, Prime Minister Andrew Holness was adamant about the emerging sectors within Jamaica that are slated to define a new Jamaican economy in the near future. As far as the emerging “logistics hub” of the Caribbean, coined by Secretary Rubio in the press conference, Jamaica has several projects on the horizon to capitalize on its proximity to the mega economy of the United States and the essential shipping route through to the Panama Canal. Two projects that headline this area of growth in Jamaica are the Caymanas Special Economic Zone (CSEZ) and the Kingston Logistics Park, both of which look to improve Jamaica’s position as a reliable and modern global partner for trade.
The CSEZ Project intended to revitalize and modernize the key shipping port in Kingston, Jamaica is a government sanctioned project that features land designations for commercial, retail, educational, industrial and many other uses. The Manager of Logistics for the project, Don Gittens touts the project’s role in transforming Jamaica to become a fully operational logistics nation with capabilities that will not only attract shipping but more importantly, “additional economic revenues for the country in light manufacturing, BPO, warehousing and distribution, IT services, etc.” To attract investment from international companies, the CSEZ also provides special consideration and incentives besides the improved infrastructure such as no restrictions on foreign ownership and a national development plan that commits Jamaica to a further long-term economic amelioration.
Education’s Importance
While the attraction of investment to Jamaica is being done with projects such as CSEZ to revolutionize the Caribbean’s image and reputation as an international business hub, a highly skilled workforce is needed to be in place in order to support high-level operations. Education and workforce development programs represent much deeper challenges within Jamaica and the Caribbean as the majority of Carabiners choose to migrate abroad. This is a major challenge in essential service industries such as healthcare to which Jamaica has been accused of accepting Cuban doctors, denoted as “forced laborers” by Secretary Rubio, to fill positions and address growing needs. The Jamaican people are the greatest asset that the Jamaican government must support in order to attract the highest level of investment.
The visit to the English-speaking Caribbean and continual engagement with leaders from this region represents a promising realignment of priorities exhibited by the Trump administration as directed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. While economic development and addressing security concerns still residually present within the country exist, Jamaica represents a promising rise through the ranks of the most reliable destinations to engage in international business. Given that the United States has shown great interest in capitalizing on strategic advantages and ensuring Caribbean nations can get back on their feet with multi-dimensional types of aid, the world should expect Jamaica and the rest of the Caribbean to experience promising economic growth.
