On the night from Thursday to Friday about fifteen Haitian migrants in an irregular migratory situation in French Guiana, have been expelled and repatriated by plane to Port-au-Prince.

An operation that occurs a few weeks after the decision of the Prefecture in August, to suspend asylum claims due to mass influx of illegal immigrants since the beginning of the year in French Guiana, mostly of Haitian origin. Nearly 4,000 asylum seekers files are pending in August, according to the French Office for Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons (OFPRA).

Recall that following a complaint from France, Suriname a neighboring country, who unwittingly serves as a gateway to illegal Haitian migrants to enter French Guiana, was forced to impose a visa to Haitians, measures which came into force on 15 September 2016 https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-18549-haiti-flash-suriname-visa-mandatory-for-haitian.html

The "Inter-Movements Committee Near the Evacuated" (CIMADE) a French association for the defense of the rights of foreigners founded in 1939, considers the expulsions as unacceptable and illegal, recalling that collective expulsions are prohibited by the European Convention on Human Rights.

The CIMADE points out that after these first expulsions there are still 27 Haitian detainees at Administrative Retention Centre (CRA) Félix-Éboué.

For its part the Prefecture remains silent and gives no signal that arrests and deportations of illegal Haitian migrants will cease.

See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-18549-haiti-flash-suriname-visa-mandatory-for-haitian.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-18637-haiti-flash-temporary-closure-of-suriname-consulate-in-haiti.html

SL/ HaitiLibre