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Migrant Returns and Reception Assistance in Haiti | Air and Sea | 12 October 2021 - 14 February 2022

Pays
Haïti
+ 7
Sources
IOM
Date de publication
Origine
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Overview

Since the beginning of 2021 and through 14 February 2022, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Haiti provided reception and post-arrival assistance to 24,671 adult and child migrants repatriated to Haiti by both air and sea. The vast majority returned in this period - 76 per cent - were returned by flight from the United States, while smaller proportions were returned by other countries and territories in the region, mainly the Bahamas,
Cuba, Mexico and the Turks and Caicos Islands. A small number of migrants were returned after being intercepted at sea by the Coast Guard. Most returns by air and sea that took place in this period - 87 per cent - occurred from September 2021 onward.

Most returned migrants assisted by IOM in this period were previously residing in Chile or Brazil - where several child returnees were born - and were returned by the United States after journeying northward. Smaller proportions of returnees migrated from Haiti more recently, mainly to locations in the Caribbean. Those departing recently reported leaving due to a combination of factors, including lack of income and job opportunities, insufficient access to basic services, the impact of natural hazards (including the earthquake of 14 August 2021, which strongly impacted Haiti’s southern departments), violence and insecurity, political instability and more.

Many returning migrants, which include individuals with chronic illnesses and disabilities, pregnant and nursing women and young children, arrive to Haiti in highly vulnerable situations with few if any resources. Returnees are often in immediate need of humanitarian assistance, having faced a series of health and protection concerns during their migration journeys.

IOM offers reception assistance to all migrants arriving in repatriation flights and boats to Port-au-Prince and Cap-Haïtien. In the period spanning 01 January 2021 - 14 February 2022, the vast majority - 92 per cent - of all returnees were repatriated to Portau-Prince. IOM performs a short arrival registration questionnaire with each individual returned alone as well as with one member of each returning family (if applicable), who responds on behalf of themselves and the family members they were returned with. The registration collects information on profiles, humanitarian needs and future intentions, in order to inform and improve service provision.

This brief presents information from questionnaires collected from returnees to Port-au-Prince between the period 12 October 2021 - 14 February 2021. During this four-month period, 5,421 arrival registration questionnaires were realized with adults repatriated alone or with family members to Port-au-Prince, with information collected on a total of 9,260 individuals. Results in this brief do not include the approximately eight per cent of migrants who were repatriated by air or sea to Cap-Haïtien in this period, nor migrants repatriated by land from the Dominican Republic.