Fleeing nation in crisis, more Haitians land in Portland
Published:Sunday | September 10, 2023 | 12:08 AM
LONG BAY, Portland:
Thirty-six Haitians pulled up along the Portland coastline on Saturday morning after risking life and health for two weeks to cross the Jamaica Channel in a rickety 18-foot sailboat. Fleeing their homeland, which is in the throes of political and social upheaval, they were the second group of Haitians to arrive in Portland in two months.
The Haitians are believed to have departed from the French-speaking CARICOM country on the night of August 26, with the intention to land in Miami, Florida.
There are 18 adult males, nine adult females, and nine children in the group.
The sailboat was first spotted by residents of Long Bay, who alerted the police to the impending arrival of a vessel packed with people. When they arrived on shore, it was discovered that they were Haitians.
The residents then offered them food and drink as they appeared hungry and dehydrated.
When she spoke with The Sunday Gleaner on Saturday, Portland’s Parish Disaster Coordinator Denise Lewis was not able to yet say where the Haitians would be housed or what the process going forward would entail. She, however, noted that they had all undergone screening and processing by the Ministry of Health and Wellness.
“The humanitarian committee is doing all it can to ensure that these displaced immigrants are given the humanitarian treatment that they deserve,” Lewis said.
On July 10, a group of 37 Haitians – 29 adults and eight children – arrived in the Boston area. The adults were convicted of illegal entry and they were all set to be deported before a last-minute application for asylum.
They are currently awaiting their fate at a camp in Robin’s Bay, St Mary.
Last week, the Government denied stalling the process to review the application, noting that the matter was highly sensitive and that it was adhering to Jamaica’s 2009 Refugee Policy.
Haiti has been battling a series of challenges such as poverty, natural disasters, political crisis, and insecurity over the past two decades. Things escalated after the July 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse, throwing the country into anarchy, with gangsters wreaking havoc in the capital Port-au-Prince and several other areas.
CARICOM leaders met virtually last week to take stock of the crisis and see what further support they could give Haiti going forward. Jamaica and The Bahamas have signalled their intention to provide security personnel to help bring stability to Haiti after Kenya indicated its willingness to lead a multinational effort. The United States has also indicated a willingness to put forward a United Nations (UN) Security Council resolution to back a deployment.
Last Thursday, the UN said that some 1,860 people were reported killed, injured or kidnapped in Haiti between April and June this year, a 14 per cent increase compared with the first three months of the year.
The surge in gang violence remains centred in the capital of Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas, with nearly 300 people alone killed or injured by snipers in the slum of Cite Soleil, according to a human rights report released by the UN Integrated Office in Haiti, known as BINUH.
Among those killed between April and June were 13 police officers and more than 460 gang members, the majority of those by lynching, followed by police shootings, the UN said.
Another 298 people were kidnapped during that period, a 24 per cent drop compared with the previous quarter.
Gangs also continue to use rape and mutilation to instil fear and punish those living in areas controlled by rivals, the UN said. At least 49 women in Cite Soleil were raped in April as they tried to escape gang violence, with seven of them killed afterwards.
Gangs were also blamed for looting or setting on fire nearly 100 homes from April to June, as well as hijacking at least 13 commercial trucks transporting fuel, food and other items. Commercial boats and barges have also been hijacked, according to the report.
BINUH noted that impunity remains widespread in Haiti, with few being held accountable for the violence.
– Part reporting by Gareth Davis and the Associated Press.