Portland police are searching for 19 Haitians who illegally entered the country on a boat carrying 40 people. Officers managed to detain 21 Haitian nationals on Monday. Reports say that dozens of Haitians arrived around 1:00 p.m. in an 18-foot multi-coloured canoe at Kensington.
The group of 40 initially scattered into the closest community, but the police were notified by residents. When officers responded to the alert, they captured a little over half of the illegal immigrants. The group now in custody consists of 18 men and three women.
As it pertains to those unaccounted for, officials have asked locals not to provide shelter to the arrivals and to report any sightings immediately.
This event adds to a rising number of Haitians who have sailed across the sea and entered the country illegally. The issue stems from an ongoing instability and political crisis in Haiti that has driven many citizens to flee their country. Law enforcement continues to face the challenge of managing these landings while ensuring community safety.
Earlier this year, in May, fifty Haitian nationals, comprised of 35 men, five boys, six women, and four girls, were returned to Haiti after illegally entering the country. That group departed Port Antonio aboard a Jamaica Defence Force Coast Guard vessel. Some had previously been staying in St Mary, and one woman, seven months pregnant, needed emergency medical care before leaving the island.
In another recent case, a pregnant Haitian national was among five who were arrested by Manchester police. The police detained the group of four men and one woman during a targeted operation that included them searching a property in Spring Ground, Christiana, where there were notably no weapons.
Deputy Superintendent Luhas Daniels, acting commander for the Manchester police, said that after interviews with the Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency (PICA), the group was charged with illegal entry and will appear before the Manchester Parish Court.