PORTLAND, Jamaica – Minister of National Security Dr Horace Chang has described the illegal migration of Haitians to Portland as a “special problem”, citing the illicit guns-for-drugs trade and an increase in homicides in the northeast Jamaica parish among the consequences.

Portland is a popular entry point for boats carrying illegal Haitian migrants, and over the last several years there has been a noticeable increase in the number of vessels amid deepening security and political crises in Haiti that have resulted in hundreds of thousands of citizens fleeing the French-speaking country.

“We have a special problem in Portland, the Haitians find Portland as one of the entry points, and the Haitian illegal migration is heavily connected with the criminal underworld. Portland is a point that they come to fairly easily, and on the south coast,” Chang told journalists during a visit to the parish on Friday morning.

“The coast guard has concentrated heavily on this side, and we have not had any major big boats for a couple of months, although they still attempt but the coast guard… has intercepted several boats before they come into our waters, and it has cost us heavily,” Chang said.

(From left) Commander for Portland Deputy Superintendent of Police Velonique Campbell, Intelligence Chief Assistant Commissioner Kirk Ricketts in charge of the national intelligence bureau, Area Commander McArthur Sutherland from Area 2 and Gary McKenzie, Acting Deputy Commissioner of Police.

Chang and Commissioner of Police Dr Kevin Blake met with the business community in Portland, as they sought to assure investors that they are on top of the crime situation amid a spike in murders in the parish since the start of the year. Portland has recorded seven homicides so far in 2025, just about half of total murders in the parish in 2024.

The national security minister cited what he said were the implications of illegal Haitian migration on the crime situation in the parish.

“We have sent back about 50 (Haitians) by the coast guard, but once they are in court, that’s the problem. They bring local problems, two of the homicides, and domestic problems are the Haitians,” Chang said.

“They are a source of problems because they bring guns, it is heavily organised, and the organisers push guns, they take back drugs, and the gun-for-drugs trade is big business. It is not just ganja but also cocaine, and we have become a transit point,” Chang continued. “These guns are sold locally and serve as a basis for some of the killings we are having, and disputes among them lead to killings among them.”

A dispute between two Haitians in the Windsor Forrest area of Portland on February 7 ended with one of them being killed and the other charged with murder.

Chang also linked illegal Haitian migration in the parish to an influx of scammers.

“They attract scammers who come to buy the guns, and if scammers pay for guns and they don’t get them, someone gets killed. The police will take action to remove a number of them from the community,” Chang said.

He said the Jamaica Eye system will be expanded, with a number of cameras being deployed at strategic points in Portland.

“Port Antonio will be moved up on the scale for the Jamaica Eye cameras. We have ordered some already and we don’t want Portland to spike [in homicides] any further, and the citizens of Portland to live in fear,” Chang said, adding “That [cameras] will be brought up on the agenda for Portland. Cameras provide a deterrent. We are giving Portland special attention, and we have been having good results. We have an extremely good intelligence.”

Meanwhile, Commissioner of Police Dr Kevin Blake said, while the number of murders in Portland is relatively low compared to other divisions, the figures are “unprecedented”.

“We have had circumstances where we had low crime divisions that started looking like how Portland is looking now, but unfortunately, we didn’t pay the type of attention that is required to it until we had to start curing rather than preventing and certainly we are not going to allow that to happen here in Portland,” he said.

In the meantime, Member of Parliament for Portland Eastern, Ann-Marie Vaz commended the police for their work and asked that the Jamaica Eye programme be established in the parish as early as possible and for citizens to cooperate with the police in their operations.

– Everard Owen