Thirty-five Haitian refugees who landed in Portland on Sunday (July 28) have been sent home by the Jamaican authorities, not even a full day after their arrival in the country.

According to the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), a boat carrying the would-be Haitian emigrants had made landfall in the vicinity of Manchioneal on the country’s east coast sometime before 5:00 that Sunday morning.

At around 6:40 am, the incident had been reported to the police, who then arrived on the scene to assess the situation and accost the Haitian party.

Upon their arrival, the police took stock of the situation, confiscating the boat used by the Haitians and
transporting them to Port Antonio. There, the escapees received medical screening and oversight at the town’s health centre.

The party of thirty-five consisted of twenty-nine men, five women, and one male child. They are not the
first group from Haiti to try and make their way to the country this year.

Earlier in 2024, at least three other Haitian bands had made their way to Jamaica to escape the ongoing violence in their homeland.

Haiti is no stranger to instability, but the recent years have been particularly devastating for the
population.

The country had seen a major upsurge in chaos following the 2021 assassination of then Haitian president Jovenel Moise, supposedly by a band of chiefly Columbian foreign mercenaries.

Since Moise’s death, Haitian gangs have seized control of much of the state, overrunning the capital of
Port-au-Prince and taking control of 80 per cent of the country’s main roads.

In March 2024, the various gangs had united to overthrow Prime Minister Ariel Henry, and have since only further consolidated their grip on power, even as the United Nations (UN) dispatches forces to restore the situation.

During February this year, the Holness administration rejected the appeal of 37 Haitians applying for
asylum, with this group remaining at a non-custodial facility.

In June, the government announced that it intended to establish a humanitarian alternative that would allow Haitians fleeing the country to find safety.

However, this initiative would not save the recent arrivals. Following their medical screening, the 35 Haitians were returned to their country of origin aboard a Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) coast guard ship, which set sail that same Sunday afternoon from Boundbrook Wharf in Port Antonio.

The Haitians stated they were seeking security and freedom from the anarchy, danger, and economic instability present in their homeland, but their hopes at finding refuge in Jamaica ultimately proved fruitless.