STATEMENT OF UPDATE RE: HAITIAN DETAINEES

June 11, 2023

On February 2nd, 2023, fifteen (15) Haiti nationals arrived in the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis after their boat malfunctioned in the area of Gallows Bay, Nevis. Since then, the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis has kept their basic needs satisfied and provided them with healthcare. Having entered the country illegally at that time, they were routinely detained in a government facility.

For humanitarian reasons, the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis has taken the decision to release the Haitians from detention and into the care of the local Haitian community as of June 10th, 2023. The Haitian community in the Federation had previously indicated as a collective that it is both ready and willing to fully accommodate its fellow countrymen and women.

In order to strengthen the regional thrust against human trafficking and illegal migration, the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis will shortly revise and enhance the nation’s laws on same, as well as the procedures through which asylum is sought. It is imperative that our nation’s legislation and laws are of a calibre that prohibits the inadvertent establishment or sustenance of a haven-like environment for human traffickers and illegal migrants.

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