Entry denied! - Former stripper barred from entering Jamaica

A Canadian woman has been left dumbfounded after she was denied entry into Jamaica. The woman, who claims her parents are Jamaicans, told THE STAR that she was travelling to the country to visit her relatives in Kingston, but was refused entry when she arrived at the Norman Manley International Airport last Wednesday.

She said that the immigration officert told her that she was denied entry because, among other things, she is a stripper.

"When I walked up to the immigration officer and she stamped my passport, another lady said that I should go to the office. Then the supervisor came in, introduced himself, and said that he got information that I am an exotic dancer and [something about] two girls [who] went to Australia and were charged with six kilos of cocaine and fraud charges," Makeda said.

Makeda, 28, admitted that she was a stripper in Toronto when she was at about 21 years old, but said that she no longer strips for a living.

"I used to strip but that wasn't like a job for him to be labelling me as that. I was 21 and I am 28 now," Makeda said. ìI went to school and graduated. I am excelling in my life. It [stripping] is not something to be proud of and there is so much more things in my life to be proud of and to tell people I have done."

The Canadian said that she has obtained a degree in sociology and works part-time as a receptionist at a car dealership.

Makeda also admitted that she knows the two girls who were convicted for smuggling cocaine into Australia.

"Everybody in my city knows about it. I was friends with them but thatís their business. What it is has to do with me?" she questioned. "I have never travelled with them so what it has to do with me."

FLYING FREQUENTLY

Makeda told THE STAR that she has visited Jamaica three times since the beginning of the year and has also made multiple trips to Atlanta, Charlotte, Miami, and Nigeria.

"I am married, my husband funds my trips," Makeda said. "I am a party animal and I may go to strip clubs when I am in Jamaica but I don't strip. I have never stripped outside of Toronto."

A representative from the Passport Immigration and Citizenship Agency (PICA) confirmed that Makeda was denied entry.

"The intelligence that our officers have received from the Joint Regional Communication Centre (JRCC) is that which was given to the passenger," the representative said. "I really do not want to say anything more than what she has told you, but what she was told is based on intelligence that we received from JRCC."

When THE STAR asked the representative if a person could be denied entry into the country on the basis that one is a stripper, the representative refused to answer.

The JRCC assists regional law enforcement personnel in the detection of persons who are travelling with stolen, lost and fraudulent travel documents, along with the identification of and monitoring the movements of persons of interest, including those who may be a high security threat to the safety and security of the region.