42 Haitians accounted for after Portland arrival, say police
PORTLAND, Jamaica – Forty-two Haitians who arrived in Jamaica illegally on a boat Sunday have all been accounted for, according to the police.
The Haitians arrived in a 25 feet make-shift canoe without an engine at Ross Craig in Long Bay, Portland. They were comprised of 29 men, seven women, including one in advanced pregnancy who was taken to a maternity ward; four boys and two girls.
READL: 42 Haitians picked up in Portland
Police report that the Haitians were seen on the roadway and beach in the area where they were held by the cops and Jamaica Defence Force soldiers.
They were taken to the Port Antonio Hospital where they were processed.
It is suspected that the Haitians will depart the island early Monday.
The boat they arrived in was burnt.
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.
– Everard Owen
