KINGSTON, Jamaica— International human rights lawyer and founder of Freedom Imaginaries, Malene Alleyne has sent a letter to the Ministry of National Security and the Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency (PICA), requesting that the Haitians who arrived in Jamaica on Saturday be granted access to determine whether they can receive refugee status or asylum.

The letter, dated October 5, was sent to Minister of National Security, Dr Horace Chang, and the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Ambassador Alison Stone Roofe, as well as Deputy Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of PICA Garth Williams.

Alleyne requested that the 20 Haitians who landed on a beach in Kensington, Portland, be granted access to a procedure where an individualised assessment of their protection needs can be carried out.

READ: UPDATE: Six more Haitians found in Portland

“Given the devastating crisis in Haiti, which does not currently allow for safe, dignified returns, it is essential that each person be screened in accordance with a differentiated approach so that vulnerable groups such as asylum seekers, victims of human trafficking, women, and children have access to the protection they need,” the attorney said.

“We also request that the Haitians be allowed to communicate with our attorneys-at-law so that we can provide legal assistance to protect their rights under Jamaica’s Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms, the Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol (UN Refugee Convention), and Jamaica’s 2009 Refugee Policy,” she added.

She went on to express concern over previous cases when Haitians who arrive in Jamaica would have been sent back to the violence-ridden island, while noting that, based on Freedom Imaginaries count, over 130 Haitians were expelled from Jamaica without due process since July 2023.

“We are also concerned that, in previous cases, those Haitians who were not collectively expelled were charged with illegal entry and subjected to prolonged detention in deplorable conditions that we believe constitute inhuman or degrading treatment, and in some cases, even torture, under constitutional and international law,” Alleyne said.

Alleyne has been a staunch critic of the government and the way each case of Haitians’ arrival in Jamaica is handled.

In September 2023, when 36 Haitians were sent back to their country in less than 24 hours after their arrival, Alleyne, in a letter, accused Prime Minister Andrew Holness and other government ministers of deliberately trying to impede their access to legal support and information on their rights.

READ: ENTRY DENIED!

There has been an increase in the number of Haitians arriving in Jamaica by boat over the last couple of years, as they attempt to flee a country that is being overrun by gang violence.