Churches plead for Haitians

WESTERN BUREAU:

The Jamaica Umbrella Group of Churches (JUGC) is calling on the Government to treat Haitians who risk their lives to reach Jamaica by sea, to seek asylum, with more dignity and compassion.

The JUGC’s call comes against the background of the issuing of deportation orders for eight Haitians who landed in Jamaica on July 17. The orders would see them meeting the same fate as other Haitians who were sent back to their violence-torn homeland without being allowed to present their cases for asylum.

In a release provided to The Gleaner yesterday, after a response was sought on the church group’s stance on the matter, JUGC Chairman Bishop Dr Roy Notice said the ongoing crisis in Haiti, including political unrest, gang warfare, famine and a lack of economic opportunities, must be taken into consideration by the authorities before removing Haitians who flee the country in search of refuge.

“The JUGC is deeply concerned about the plight of our Haitian neighbours. The humanitarian crisis in Haiti has forced many people to flee their homeland in search of safety and refuge,” said Notice. “As Christians, we cannot be indifferent to their suffering; but at the same time, we recognise that every sovereign nation has the right and responsibility to secure its borders, enforce its immigration laws, and protect the safety and wellbeing of its citizens.

“The Government should publish and consistently apply a clear protocol for handling all persons who arrive in Jamaica seeking asylum or refuge, and that protocol should protect Jamaica’s national security and the interests of our citizens, while ensuring that vulnerable people are treated with dignity, compassion and fairness.

“If such a protocol does not exist, then we challenge the Government to get it done within this parliamentary year.”

According to Jamaica’s Refugee Policy of 2009, a person qualifies for refugee status if they have left their home country and are unwilling to return due to a fear of persecution on religious, political or racial grounds, or because they are part of a specific social group. The person must be in Jamaica at the time of applying for refugee status and, upon being granted that status, must be given access to social and welfare services.

Notice also pointed out that Jamaica must balance justice and mercy in responding to the impact of Haiti’s national upheaval on the wider Caribbean region.

“Scripture reminds us that God ‘defends the cause of the foreigner’ (Deuteronomy 10:18) and commands His people, ‘The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself’ (Leviticus 19:33-34). Jesus Himself declared, ‘I was a stranger and you welcomed me’ (Matthew 25:35). These passages do not require a nation to abandon its laws, but they do require that those laws be administered with humanity and fairness,” said Notice.

Over several years, Haitian nationals have entered Jamaica’s shores while fleeing persecution in their home country. While there is no record of Haitians receiving asylum in Jamaica in the past year, several were granted permission to remain in Jamaica during the 2004-2005 period. At the end of 2009, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees reported that there were 26 Haitian refugees in Jamaica.

On July 17 this year, eight Haitians – five men and three women – were found hiding in Bushy Park, Old Harbour, St Catherine, after the small boat in which they were travelling got into difficulty while they were en route to the United States. They were subsequently taken into custody and charged with illegal entry.

During the Haitians’ appearance in the St Catherine Parish Court on July 31, the deportation orders, dated July 30, were presented to the court in a document submitted by the Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency. The Haitians’ attorney, Donahue Martin, later announced his intention to challenge the deportation orders.

Following the group’s arrest, another group of four Haitians – two men and two women – was arrested in the Green Acres community in Spanish Town, St Catherine, on Monday, August 3. It was subsequently revealed that they had entered the country legally but remained beyond the permitted period. They were subsequently charged with overstaying and scheduled to appear in court on August 7.

christopher.thomas@gleanerjm.com