Letter of the Day | Rethink deportation of Haitian migrants

THE EDITOR, Madam:

It is being reported that 37 Haitian migrants, including women and children, who arrived on the island are to be deported. If that is the official decision of the government, it is not surprising. First, Jamaica cannot afford such costs when the government struggles to fulfil the need of its own people, many of whom are indigent and are in dire straits. Second, the migrants entered the country illegally, and, therefore, the laws of the country must be enforced. Of course, there are other justifications, as well.

Yet, I believe it would be an act of profound error if these people are deported. Haiti finds itself in an unprecedented upheaval in modern times. In so many ways, the country has collapsed into a failed state after the assassination of its president in July 2021. Since then, Haiti has been held captive by gangs and overlords. Haitians are in severe distress; many suffer from food and housing insecurity; countless children are without classrooms; and hospitals are in a failed state — many on the precipice of total ruin.

Given this, deporting the 37 will mean a return to these inhumane conditions and possibly, death. This is not to say economic and political considerations for deportation are asinine. But rather there can be a multiprong approach to care. Civil society can and should play a role — businesses can spearhead, alongside the government; the Church can play its part, whether that means offering temporary housing, or even clothing/feeding the foreigner — a biblical mandate. Moreover, we need not bear the burden alone; CARICOM and other international partners should help. The point becomes the problem of the 37 is an opportunity for the country to work together, on the eve of Independence, to care for our neighbours. In so many ways, Jamaica needs Haitian migrants as they need us. It should not be lost on us, a free and strong people, that we are only days away from celebrating our 185th anniversary of Emancipation in 1838. Haiti led the way in 1804, when it became the first black republic in the New World. Haitians made the first fatal blow to slavery. We owe them much.

The government should protect the people of Jamaica by doing its due diligence by ensuring, as best as possible, the necessary background checks of all migrants. After which, with the appropriate clearance, should any of the 37 petition for asylum on humanitarian grounds, the government should accept those petitions. It would be in bad taste, be morally gangrenous and reflects poor governance if we move forward with deportation proceedings. Not to mention, such a decision hits the moral nostrils with a strong stench of hypocrisy.

DEREFE CHEVANNES