More Haitians Arrive in Jamaica
As of March 2024, over 120 Haitian migrants have arrived in Jamaica by boat since July 2023. In March 2024, 59 Haitian children and 13 caregivers arrived in Jamaica from an orphanage in Haiti that was surrounded by armed gangs. The children were evacuated due to growing unrest in Haiti, and the trip to Jamaica was uneventful. However, the Haitian government has forcibly returned over 80 Haitian migrants to Haiti without allowing them to access asylum or legal counsel.
Haiti has been experiencing political, economic, and security crises for years, which has led to thousands of citizens fleeing the country. Jamaica has been a destination for exiled Haitian leaders and politicians since Haiti’s independence in 1804
A recent wave of Haitian immigrants has arrived in Jamaica, continuing a trend seen in the past few years. Their arrival has sparked a conversation about immigration, integration, and the role Jamaica plays in the Caribbean community.
According to the Jamaica Observer, less than 24 hours following a declaration by Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Ambassador Sheila Sealy Monteith, regarding the potential increase of criminals, illegal migrants, and refugees from Haiti affecting Jamaica, another incident involving Haitian nationals was reported in Portland by the police.
Reports suggest these individuals were part of a contingent that arrived in Portland on Sunday, initially evading detection.
Officials stated that 16 Haitian individuals were apprehended in the Anchovy Gardens area of Port Antonio on Wednesday morning. They were discovered in a truck experiencing mechanical issues.
The truck, en route to Montego Bay, St James, had stalled, prompting local residents to approach the driver, who appeared reticent to accept help. This behavior aroused suspicion, revealing the hidden passengers.
Authorities were promptly notified, leading to the detention of the driver and the Haitians at the Port Antonio Police Station.
It was further alleged that the driver of a car acting as an escort for the truck fled the scene prior to police arrival.
On the preceding Monday, eight male Haitians had been detained by police in Hector’s River, in Portland, and were subsequently taken to Port Antonio Hospital for health evaluations. As of Wednesday, they were still under processing by local authorities.
It was also believed that additional members of the same group, including women and children, fled the vicinity after their vessel made landfall.
On Tuesday, Ambassador Sealy Monteith addressed the Parliament’s Internal and External Affairs Committee, highlighting the ongoing challenges posed by both documented and undocumented Haitian migrants. Some of these individuals, she noted, might harbor malicious intent or be affiliated with transnational organized criminal activities.
Ambassador Sealy Monteith specifically mentioned that two prime suspects in the assassination of the late Haitian President Jovenel Moïse had been captured in Jamaica after illegally entering the country.
She underscored the heightened risk of migration spurred by frequent civil unrest and the recurrent natural and man-made disasters in Haiti, a nation persistently plagued by violence.