Aiming for Florida, now Landed in Jamaica 37 Haitians including Seven Children

Rashaed Esson

Staff Writer

#Jamaica, July 17, 2023 – Thirty-seven Haitians arrived on the shores of Boston beach in Portland Jamaica; 24 males, five adult females, five girls and three boys. They informed authorities that they were fleeing hunger, civil unrest and economic hardships in their homeland of Haiti.

The 37 illegal or irregular migrants were screened by representatives of the Ministry of Health and Wellness to which they communicated they left their home Jamerie on June 26th in a boat at night, and actually wanted to get to Florida.

However, due to poor navigation and rough seas, they ended up in Jamaica on July 10th at about 1:40 p.m.

Two of the Haitians, who barely spoke English, said in their homeland jobs are hard to find, food and drinking water  ate scarce, and that there is no real hope or future for anyone as their country is overrun by criminals and gunmen.

Fortunately, the locals at the beach from the community, upon their arrival, gave the immigrants two cases of drinking water, two cases of Coco-Cola, bread and corned beef as the people were severely dehydrated and famished.

Jamaican police, according to Superintendent Lloyd Darby, commanding officer for the Portland Police Division, police will be investigating the circumstances, which may have caused the Haitians to end up in Jamaica.

He expressed that all the relevant agencies, including Red Cross, the Portland Municipal Corporation, and the Ministry of Health, have been contacted and that all that is necessary will be done through a multi-agency approach.