Amidst the humanitarian and security crises in Haiti, Haitian migrants have been seeking refuge at Boston Medical Center. The hospital's resources have been stretched

due to the dramatic increase in migrants arriving in recent weeks, as stated by hospital spokesperson David Kibbe. Most of the 55 people who spent Wednesday night at the hospital were from Haiti, and so far in 2023, more than 400 families have been sheltered overnight at the medical center. Kibbe mentioned that last year, the hospital sheltered over 600 families. Boston Medical Center provides care for people of all ages and has a 514-bed academic medical center.

The hospital serves as a temporary shelter for those who have nowhere else to go, and the facility is neither a shelter nor a permanent home for any of the migrants. The hospital provides transportation to housing agencies the next morning so that the migrants can apply for housing when the agencies reopen. The arrivals have stretched hospital resources, including emergency department, social work, and support teams. Kibbe also mentioned that the hospital is working with the state and city to connect families with housing resources.

Haiti is facing widespread insecurity and gang violence, and its crime rate has more than doubled since last year. Haiti is among the countries with the highest levels of chronic food insecurity globally and has one of the greatest inequalities in the region. After Haitian President Jovenel Moïse's assassination in 2021, gang violence and kidnappings have surged, leading to a sharp deterioration in the country's already fragile security situation, as per the US Department of Homeland Security. The department extended humanitarian relief to Haitians in January, citing simultaneous economic, security, political, and health crises in the country.

Boston's mayor's office is working closely with hospitals, nonprofits, churches, and the community to support families seeking shelter. The spokesperson called on the federal government to provide necessary support to deal with the crisis. The federal government should increase its capacity to issue work permits to asylum seekers, provide additional funding for support services through a community-centered approach, better coordinate with states and cities on anticipated arrivals, and establish clear protocols for Department of Homeland Security personnel to return all documents to migrants upon release, as stated by the City of Boston spokesperson. Photo by Cmcnicoll, Wikimedia commons.