Still no answers about circumstances surrounding Haitians’ stay in Barbados

The 30 Haitians being housed in two apartments at Wanstead Gardens, St James have reportedly indicated they are not being held against their will, but several questions remain about their circumstances.

On Tuesday, the Ministry of Home Affairs and Information issued a statement following a visit to the property, but Minister Wilfred Abrahams declined to speak with Barbados TODAY.

It said Abrahams and a team from the Immigration Department visited the group “to verify that they were not being held against their will or in substandard accommodation and are satisfied that this is not the case”.

“The primary spokesperson for the Haitians informed officials that they voluntarily came to Barbados en route to Guyana. The Minister informed them that his primary concern was their well-being and assured them that all efforts are being made to resolve the situation,” it added.

However, the Ministry gave no other details about the Haitians’ situation.

During Tuesday’s visit, more than a dozen Haitians, including young children, sat in a room on the second-floor apartment as Minister Abrahams, Acting Chief Immigration Officer Margaret Inniss, and a translator quizzed a young man about the circumstances under which the group had arrived in Barbados. 

A reporter from the state-owned Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation was present when a team from Barbados TODAY, acting on an anonymous tip, arrived at the property at approximately 4 p.m. No independent media organisations had been invited.

In the basement, scores of young adults and children made way for Government officials to enter the apartment.

It was unclear exactly how many bedrooms, bathrooms or kitchen spaces were made available to the nearly three dozen Haitians. There was one inflatable bed in what appeared to be the living area of the apartment, but no indication of where so many people would rest their heads at night.

One young man said he was the father of three of the young children and that the other children were accompanied by relatives. But the relationship between the other five children and their so-called relatives was unclear.

The landlord, who apparently lives on the top floor of the building, was not present during the visit.

There were no one-on-one interviews between state officials and the Haitian residents, except for a question from the Home Affairs Minister.

“Is anybody here being held against their will? All who are here came to Barbados voluntarily and you are leaving to go somewhere else voluntarily? Are you being forced to stay in Barbados or being kept in Barbados against your will?”

“No,” replied the young man who spoke English.

He also referenced an agency, a 25-day stay in Barbados and a trip to Guyana.

Barbados TODAY’s requests for an interview with Minister Abrahams were denied, and he instead released the statement confirming that the Haitians had been granted an automatic six-month stay.

Last Friday, Barbados TODAY reported that the Haitians were awaiting visas to enter Guyana through a process involving an agency called MPH. The agency was paid an undisclosed sum to cover transportation costs, in-transit accommodation and visas.

Barbados’ Ambassador to CARICOM David Comissiong, after looking into the situation, disclosed at the time that some of the Haitians were upset about the length of time they were spending in Barbados since arriving on February 20 and the lingering uncertainty about when they would leave.

On the MPH Travel Agency’s Facebook page were complaints in Haitian creole about people being stranded in Barbados and about having to pay more than was originally agreed for passage into Guyana. Concerns were also expressed about limited finances within the Haitian contingent.

People living at Wanstead Gardens have been especially concerned about the number of children involved, some of whom appear to be as young as three or four years old.

Meanwhile, migration expert Dr Olivia Smith said the matter was no “clear cut” case of human trafficking, but that the 33 Haitians ought to be treated as victims by law enforcement officials.
kareemsmith@barbadostoday.bb