Portland bracing for Haitians
Published:Monday | July 12, 2021 | 12:09 AMGareth Davis Sr/Gleaner Writer
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PORT ANTONIO, Portland: Relief agencies in Portland are now bracing for an influx of Haitian boat people arriving in the northeastern parish following the assassination of President Jovenel Moise and fears that the political turmoil in the CARICOM...
PORT ANTONIO, Portland:
Relief agencies in Portland are now bracing for an influx of Haitian boat people arriving in the northeastern parish following the assassination of President Jovenel Moise and fears that the political turmoil in the CARICOM state will worsen.
The killing of Moise last Wednesday could fuel tensions in the poorest and most politically unstable country in the Americas, triggering a wave of migrants to the United States and Jamaica.
National Security Minister Dr Horace Chang said that there is much uncertainty surrounding the power vacuum in Haiti.
“So far, we have not seen signs of anything coming our way, but we maintain our vigilance in this space,” Chang, who is also Jamaica’s deputy prime minister, said at a Rotary Club of Downtown Kingston installation ceremony on Saturday.
Emergency chairperson at the Jamaica Red Cross’ Portland chapter, Eileen Davis, said that the agency has started to put in place contingency plans for asylum seekers.
“The only real issue that might arise is accommodation for the Haitians and also the duration that they might be here for – in the event that they do arrive,” Davis said.
SHELTER CONCERN
Schools are among the range of shelters available in Portland, but Davis has cautioned that logistical problems might arise if face-to-face classes resume in September once COVID-19 infections are kept in check.
“From a humanitarian perspective, we have to help, based on the Geneva Convention. So I believe that all the other agencies are looking into the likelihood of Haitians fleeing their homeland and turning up on our shores,” Davis told The Gleaner.
“We have the pandemic to contend with, but we are also obligated to assist those that are in dire need,” she added.
Among the relief agencies that have been integrally involved in assisting Haitian boat migrants are the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, the Portland Municipal Corporation, the Adventist Relief Agency, and the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management.
Approximately 17 years ago, following the ouster of then President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, who later was accommodated in Jamaica by the then Patterson administration, hundreds of Haitians turned up on Jamaica’s shores, citing persecution, anarchy, and mayhem in a country riven by civil unrest.
Meantime, commanding officer for the Portland Police Division, Superintendent Duane Wellington, told The Gleaner that law enforcers were monitoring developments in Haiti and that they were not leaving anything to chance.
“We are not going to be caught flat-footed or off-guard, but rather, we are prepared and bracing for any eventuality. It is not an uncommon practice for Haitians to turn up on our shores, and, therefore, we have to be vigilant,” Wellington said.
Between 2004 and November 2019, approximately 700 Haitian boat people landed along the coastal areas of Portland, including Long Bay, Boston, Manchioneal, Hector’s River, Orange Bay, and Bryan’s Bay.
During that period, they were accommodated at various shelters, including the Winnifred Rest Home, the Port Antonio Seventh-day Adventist Church, and Friends churches.