Man deported from US insists he is not Jamaican

A middle-aged man deported by the Trump administration to Jamaica recently is insisting that he is an American from Camden, New Jersey, and has been wrongfully dumped on a Caribbean island where he has no antecedents.

The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) says they have documentary proof that the deportee is a Jamaican christened Devon Nicely, but he insists that he is Trevor Anthony Grant, a native American citizen.

The Jamaica Gleaner is reporting that his story began in early 2023 when he was picked up by ICE and placed in detention for a felony crime. He insists that his arrest was based on incorrect identity information. In all, he spent nearly two full years in prison before he was deported back to Jamaica.

Taking up the case at his insistence this week, the local immigration and citizenship service (PICA) said it was satisfied that the Americans had done the correct thing and had had their right man in custody for deportation following two years of back and forth efforts between ICE, the Jamaican Embassy in the US and local authorities back in Jamaica. PICA says it is satisfied with its investigations and the outcome.

“In the instant case, the US authorities provided PICA with documentary evidence, including biometric information. PICA conducted investigations to verify the authenticity of the Jamaican birth certificate and other information related to Devon Nicely. This biometric information, including fingerprints, linked the individual who arrived on the flight as Jamaican national Devon Nicely,” the department stated in a release.

As he prepares to hunker down in a country to which he alleges he has no familial or other ties, Nicely or Grant continues to insist that the Americans had used incorrect biometric information, such as fingerprints, to arrest, detain, and jail him before putting him on a flight. He is disappointed that Jamaica has accepted the data and information provided by ICE. “I’m a United States citizen born in Camden, New Jersey. I had an interview with the Jamaican consulate, at which time they came to the conclusion that I am not from Jamaica,” he said, noting that Jamaican diplomats had provided him with no documents. “They don’t do that. They simply have an interview with you over the phone, and they make a determination based on the information you give them and the information back there. I couldn’t give them any information about Jamaica because this is my first time being in Jamaica,” the publication quoted him as saying.
From all appearances, the Jamaican Immigration Service appears to have closed the matter, as Nicely/Grant seems to be on his own.