Grenada returns 15 Haitian nationals to Trinidad

by Linda Straker

• 15 Haitian nationals were denied entry to land
• 7 women and 8 men did not declare refugee status nor seek political asylum
• Returned to Trinidad which will be responsible for onward journey

On Monday evening, 15 Haitian nationals whom Grenada denied entry to land were sent back to Trinidad, the port of embarkation.

“They were denied entry to the island; they were not deported, so were returned to Trinidad on Monday night to Trinidad, which is the port of embarkation on the way to Grenada,” said Superintendent Leroy Joseph, Head of the Immigration Department.

Trinidad will now be responsible for the onward journey.

Joseph said that the group who entered Grenada as tourists comprised 7 women and 8 men between the ages of 20 and 40. They did not declare refugee status nor seek political asylum.

Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell disclosed the arrival and challenges of the Haitians to the public during a news conference on Monday, 13 February 2023. He said Immigration Officers, during their routine checks, were able to ascertain the Haitians would be a charge on the public purse if they were permitted to enter the state.

He explained that because Haiti is a Caricom member, there are very specific and limited grounds that can be used to prevent a Caricom national from entering. “One of which is a charge on the public purse and the second will be, in broad terms, national security risk. In this case, it was purely on the basis of a charge on the public purse,” he said.

Section 4 of the Immigration Act provides reasons that can be used to deny someone entry into the island. These include:

1. he or she entered Grenada to become a public charge by reason of infirmity of body or mind or who is not in possession of sufficient means to support himself or herself and such of his or her dependants as he or she shall bring with him or her to Grenada
2. a person of unsound mind or a mentally defective person
3. a person certified by a medical practitioner to be suffering from a contagious or infectious disease that makes his or her entry into Grenada undesirable
4. a person who, not having received a free pardon, has been in any country convicted of an offence for which a sentence of imprisonment has been passed and who for this reason appears to be an undesirable person
5. a prostitute or a person who may be living on or receiving or may have lived on or received the proceeds of prostitution
6. a person who, from information or advice received from the government of any other country through official or diplomatic channels, is deemed by the Minister to be an undesirable inhabitant of or visitor to Grenada
7. a person or class of persons deemed by the Minister on economic grounds, or on account of living standards or habits, to be an undesirable inhabitant of Grenada

The law further states that once a person is denied entry under subsection (1) (f) and (g), the decision shall not be brought into question in any court.