National Security Minister Dr. Horace Chang, addressing Thursday's session of the Standing Finance Committee
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Dr. Horace Chang
By Nakinskie Robinson
National Security Minister Dr. Horace Chang says the government has agreed to accept Haitian orphans who were in isolation, in light of the worsening conditions in the French speaking CARICOM nation.
Dr. Chang made the disclosure when he was quizzed about the government's decision to repatriate Haitians who fled to Jamaica in recent months.
Since last year the government has come under fire from human rights lobby group Freedom Imaginaries for its rapid return policy towards Haitian migrants.
A little over a week ago, on February 28, the government rejected the asylum applications of 37 Haitian refugees who arrived in the island by boat last July.
But in response to Shadow Finance Minister, Julian Robinson, Dr. Chang said the areas to which the Haitians were repatriated were not as volatile as Southern Haiti including the capital Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas.
He said the children from one orphanage as well as about 53 World Bank employees will be accommodated in Jamaica.
The National Security Minister said the government is boosting its efforts to manage and secure Jamaica's transnational borders as violence escalates in neighbouring Haiti.
Dr. Chang, who was addressing Thursday morning's session of the Standing Finance Committee, said the country cannot afford a flood of Haitians at its borders.
He said Prime Minister Andrew Holness and Foreign Affairs Minister Kamina Johnson Smith have been working alongside international and regional partners to help bring stability to the crisis stricken nation.
But Dr. Chang also disclosed that Jamaica is not predominantly the target destination for those fleeing the former French colony - with most fleeing to North America, whether through the Bahamas or by travelling through South America.
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