Haitians to be sent back to their homeland tonight

The 42 Haitians, who landed at a beach in Ross Craig, Portland, on Sunday, are now at the Boundbrook wharf in Port Antonio for repatriation tonight.

It is understood that another group of Haitians, who were housed at a facility in St Mary over a prolonged period, are to be sent back to their homeland as well.

The group of Haitians comprising men, women, including an expectant mother in an advanced stage of pregnancy, and children landed on Sunday, shortly after 6 a.m. in 20-foot sail boat at a rugged beach area near Long Bay.

In a press release on Monday, migrant rights group Freedom Imaginaries urged the Government of Jamaica to refrain from "expelling" the Haitians and to ensure they are granted access to a fair and effective asylum procedure.

The release said that Sunday’s arrival underscores the escalating crisis in Haiti, driven by spiralling gang violence and worsening humanitarian conditions. It said that the United Nations has warned that the situation is approaching a "point of no return," with over 5,600 people killed due to gang violence in 2024 alone and over one million people now forcibly displaced.

“The crisis is landing hardest on women and children, who face systematic practices of sexual violence and make up over half of the displaced population. International law leaves no room for doubt: the forced return of individuals to a place where they may face risk of persecution, torture, or other serious or irreparable harm constitutes refoulement, which is strictly prohibited under international refugee and human rights law," the statement said.

- Gareth Davis

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