Deportation orders issued for Haitians found in Old Harbour, lawyer to mount legal challenge
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The attorney for eight Haitians who recently landed in Jamaica and were charged with illegally entering the country has indicated that he will mount a legal challenge to deportation orders issued for them.
Details of the deportation orders, dated July 30, 2026, were outlined in a document submitted to the St Catherine Parish Court on Friday by a representative of the Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency (PICA).
The attorney Donahue Martin expressed surprise that the orders were signed by the Minister of National Security while the case was still before the court.
The charges filed against the Haitians, comprising three women and five men, were subsequently withdrawn.
"There is nothing the court can do other than withdraw the charges, as the minister is so empowered under Section 15(1) of the Aliens Act. Not even an appeal can change that," said acting Senior Parish Court Judge Janelle Nelson-Gayle, in explaining the decision to drop the charges.
However, Martin told the court that he will seek judicial review of the matter before the Constitutional Court.
Meanwhile, speaking through an interpreter, some of the Haitians told the court they had fled persecution in their homeland.
One of the men said he was shot and robbed.
Another said his wife and child were killed in Haiti and that his life, and that of his countrymen, would be in danger if they were returned.
It’s reported that about 8:30a.m. on July 17, the Haitians were found hiding in Bushy Park, in Old Harbour, St Catherine.
Initial reports are that the small boat in which they were travelling got into difficulties and they were stranded en route to the United States.
The police were summoned and the eight were taken into custody before PICA was contacted.
The Haitians were subsequently charged with illegal entry.
- Rasbert Turner
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