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Basseterre, St Kitts, October 24, 2019 – The St Kitts-Nevis Coast Guard escorted a one-mast yacht with over 30 Haitians onboard to its Bird Rock base in Basseterre on Wednesday night.
The Coast Guard intercepted the white-coloured vessel several miles away from St Kitts.
According to sources a total of 35 persons, identified as Haitian nationals, were onboard and it was not immediately known how many were crew members, the number of males and females, where the vessel left from and its destination.
Surrounded by heavy security provided by the St Kitts-Nevis Defence Force, the migrants were escorted from the vessel to an area on coast guard base. Several of them held their personal belongings in their hands.
An ambulance went to the scene but it was not known if it was in response to any of the Haitians becoming ill.
The Haitians were then taken by two pickup vehicles to Camp Springfield, home of the St Kitts-Nevis Defence Force under heavy escort.
On Sunday night, October 20, fifteen Haitians entered St Kitts and Nevis illegally in the Bird Rock area and turned up at the Bird Rock Beach Hotel seeking accommodation.
According to the Royal St Christopher and Nevis Police Force, the thirteen (13) men and two (2) women – were taken into custody. On Monday 21, 2019, police handed the persons and their documents over to the Immigration Department.
Head of the Immigration Department, Merclyn Hughes said the matter was under investigation with the assistance of The Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force and the St. Kitts-Nevis Coast Guard.
Osmond Petty, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of National Security in a Freedom FM interview said while St Kitts and Nevis does not have any specific policy with respect to Haitians, there is a process of dealing with any illegal immigrant regardless of nationality.
“We deal with them just like any other illegal immigrant landing in St Kitts and Nevis,” Petty said.