Political turmoil and growing violence in Haiti are pushing more Haitians to go to sea to try to reach Puerto Rico, with more refugees intercepted at sea so far this year than in the past two years total, according to federal data.
The number of Haitians arrested by the two federal agencies this year so far exceeds 25 reported in Puerto Rico in 2020 and seven in 2019.
Hatians intercepted at sea are returned to where their boat left, and those arriving in Puerto Rico are handed over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement for deportation.
Political turmoil, a constitutional crisis and an increase in kidnappings in Haiti have prompted immigration, experts, priests and human rights advocates told the Miami Herald.
Haitian Catholic priest Olin-Pierre, who provides food and shelter to Puerto Ricans, said he has noticed an increase in Haitian arrivals this year.
The priest said the Haitians settled in San Juan, the capital of Puerto Rico. The Dominicans, a well-established immigrant community on the island, often assist Haitians upon their arrival.
Pierre noted that due to language barriers, it is unusual to see Haitians making their homes on the island. Most of them continue their trips to the United States or Canada, where there are more Haitians. In 2019, 256 Haitian-borns lived in Puerto Rico, according to the most recent Puerto Rican Community Survey.
“The misery of Haiti is not misery, it is something worse,” said Pierre.
During the current political turmoil in Haiti, gangs and armed groups have outpaced the security forces and are fighting for territory, said Colette Lespinas, a refugee and human rights defender based in Haiti. Hunger and malnutrition increased in Haiti as President Jovenel Moise was accused of embezzlement, dismantling Parliament, and overstaying his term.
In response to Moise’s refusal to resign despite Haiti’s constitution mandate, Lespinas said, protests have paralyzed the country as protesters demanded new elections. In the past two months, Haitian immigration has recovered. On June 6, Puerto Rican police and US Border Protection forces intercepted 31 Haitians in Rincon, a town frequently visited by immigrants.
“We have a permanent unresolved crisis,” Lespinas said. “It’s still very difficult today.”
Haitian economist Camille Chalmers said Haitians in the capital, Port-au-Prince and other regions are fleeing.
“The people who go to Puerto Rico are new immigrants,” Chalmers said. “Professionals and young people are fleeing the harsh living conditions in upper- and middle-class slums.”
Chalmers said Haitians who immigrate to Puerto Rico often use it as a transit point into the United States.
For migrants, fleeing Haiti by boat through the Mona Pass, the 60-mile stretch between the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, said Jeffrey Quinones, Puerto Rico’s public affairs officer for border protection. “Statistically speaking, it’s more dangerous to move people by water,” Quines said. “The chances of dying on the flight are much higher.”
Although the Center for American Progress, an independent, nonpartisan policy institute, did not find that temporary protected status designations encouraged immigration to the continental United States, Quinones claimed that it could increase Haitian immigration to the island.
The public offering said immigrants believe they can be covered by TPS after arriving in the United States, but that this is not possible.
The United States grants TPS to citizens of countries in exceptional circumstances that cannot handle the return of their citizens from abroad. Under the Immigration and Nationality Act, beneficiaries cannot be deported and can work temporarily in the country.
Alejandro Mallorcas, the US Secretary of Homeland Security, Alejandro Mallorcas, has set an 18-month extension of the temporary protection regime for Haitian citizens on May 22.
As of 2018, 41 Haitians living in Puerto Rico were protected by TPS, the largest number of TPS holders on the island, according to data from United States Citizenship and Immigration Services.
