At Least 36 Haitians Die As Sailboat Capsizes

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. _ Following one of the worst disasters at sea for Haitian migrants, South Florida’s Haitian community leaders feared a recent spike in interdictions could signal a deadly summer for others leaving their troubled homeland.

At least 36 Haitian migrants died after their overcrowded, 30-foot sailing freighter capsized early Friday off the British territory, Turks and Caicos Islands. Another 78 were rescued and as many as 66 could still be lost at sea, according to a Turks and Caicos government statement.

“I certainly am worried about more Haitians dying at sea,” said Marvin Dejean, a businessman and the former head of Broward County’s largest Haitian community center. “We’re going to see a lot more Haitians trying to get on these boats and flee anywhere they can get to, especially now. The summer is when the weather is most favorable for people to take to the sea.”

U.S. Coast Guard figures show a significant surge in the number of Haitians interdicted at sea last month. April saw 704 people picked up, compared with 43 in April 2006 and 769 in all of last year.

It was the second incident involving a large number of Haitians since the Coast Guard suspended a search in early March for nearly 50 migrants whose homemade boat caught fire in the Atlantic Ocean. Those migrants were traveling from Haiti to the Turks and Caicos Islands when a fuel tank exploded.

Later that month 101 Haitians scrambled to shore at Hollywood Beach after spending at least three weeks on a dilapidated sailboat. One man died in that crossing. The survivors from the March landing are being held at a detention facility in Pompano Beach. Most have passed interviews that may entitle them to asylum hearings, community activists say.

In South Florida, Haitian community leaders said recent tragedies involving Haitian migrants have galvanized the community.

“We all become one,” said Herntz Phanord, a Haitian radio host on WSRF. “We are all concerned. Even those who have been here for 40 or 50 years. We have one of our own on each of those boats. It’s not a symbolic thing, it’s for real.”

News of Friday’s deaths brought a sting of injustice for many Haitian-Americans, who feel they’ve been passed over while South Florida’s Cubans and Central Americans receive preferential immigration treatment. Authorities detain virtually all Haitians who arrive by boat in South Florida. Most are eventually deported though some who prove a fear of persecution are allowed to apply for asylum.

“It’s almost as if you’re trying to get out of the lion’s den, and you’re being taken right back to the lion,” said Patrick Jabouin, a Haitian community activist. “Whether it’s for economic freedom, or to run away from persecution, they are still seeking freedom.”

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(c) 2007 South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

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