Alvin Mc Lean helps deportees make calls at Kingston's Norman Manley International Airport as they seek family to pick them up. Many have not returned to Jamaica in decades. Mr. Mc Lean, deported in May 2025, directs the Family Unification & Resettlement Initiative (FURI), a nonprofit aiding reintegration. While the Jamaican government views deportees as a security challenge, Mr. Mc Lean sees them as a resource.
A rising wave of arrivals, including Keton Cole, who lived in the U.S. since 1993, highlights this shift. Detained upon return, Mr. Cole used FURI materials to launch a diesel particulate filter-cleaning business. Mr. Mc Lean, 58, spent 33 years in prison before leading FURI's transitional services. FURI founder Carmeta Albarus, a New York-based specialist, started the nonprofit in 2002 to address the lack of services for returning migrants.
She believes with support, deportees can build fulfilling lives.
Source: New York Times Top Stories · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing