ReliefWeb

Bogotá, 30 August 2011 – The impact of the January-2010 earthquake, cholera epidemics, subhuman living conditions in camps for displaced persons and disillusionment with the failure to stabilise the country are some of the many reasons why Haitians are fleeing in substantial numbers.

Yet as nearby states tighten their borders, hundreds of Haitians have found themselves stranded in Tabatinga, a small Brazilian city of 50,000 inhabitants bordering Colombia and Peru.

After the earthquake, Haitians began arriving in Tabatinga in groups of eight to 10. In the first seven months of 2011, more than 900 Haitians were interviewed by federal migration police in Tabatinga. A further 500, including eight pregnant women, are now stranded there awaiting interview. If granted the right to enter asylum procedures, they will continue their journey on to Manaus.

For most the one month ordeal includes thousands of kilometres by bus and aeroplane, ending with a three-day trip on the Amazon river to Tabatinga. Along the way, the assistance they receive from smugglers, for transport, food and lodgings, comes at a cost. In addition, they are constantly subjected to requests for money from airlines and migration officials.

The cost of the journey from Haiti to Tabatinga costs from 2,500 to 5,000 US dollars. In addition to spending all their savings, migrants are forced to sell all their belongings to cover their expenses. Fortunately some have relatives in the US who contribute to the cost of these journeys.

Not considered refugees

Despite not qualifying for refugee status as defined by the 1951 UN refugee convention (which only recognises those who have fled persecution), following pressure from justice officials in Acre state, the national government admitted Haitians into the asylum procedure for humanitarian reasons.

Yet this initial generosity is fading away as Tabatinga federal police admit a decreasing number of Haitians into the asylum procedure, alleging insufficient human resources to interview asylum seekers, process their applications and transmit them to the federal authorities in Brasilia.

Unable to go on or return home, these Haitians find themselves stranded in Tabatinga. Meanwhile the queue gets longer with the arrival of a further six to 20 Haitians every day. Even Haitians who are admitted into the asylum procedure are often unable to pay the boat fare to Manaus.

On the edge of an humanitarian crisis

Haitians quickly realise they have been cheated by the smugglers who promised employment and migration papers. In fact the opposite is true. Unemployment in Tabatinga, situated in one of the least developed areas of Brazil – is rampant.

Nevertheless, they need jobs to pay for food, accommodation and the three-day boat trip to Manaus. The lucky ones are forced to accept casual employment for between three and 12 US dollars a day. In these difficult circumstances, they have learned to share what little they have: food, money and space.

Fortunately, a parishioner made his five-bedroom house available to Colombian Fr Gonzalo Ignacio Franco, head of Tabatinga Migrant Service; initially for three months. That was more than a year ago. With approximately 75 Haitians living there, hygiene conditions are obviously far from satisfactory.

Fr Gonzalo collects food and other assistance from diocese parishes to give to the Haitians. Sometimes he organises raffles, football games and other creative activities to collect funds for the Haitians. Yet all this is not enough to considering the gravity of the humanitarian situation.

Every morning, tens of Haitians congregate in front of Fr Gonzalo's home for coffee and bread and to see if there will be food for lunch or if the police are going to interview them or give them their asylum seeker document.

From dawn to dusk, Haitians roam the dusty and hot streets of Tabatinga, as their simple stopover becomes hell. For most, the nights are no longer to sleep or dream, but to mourn together, share their suffering, comfort each other: joking, playing dominoes, listening to Kompa music and trying not to lose hope.