In Turkey, hundreds of illegal Haitians are waiting to return to Haiti. But to cross the Atlantic, the countries through which they must pass ask them for a visa to which they do not have access. Without valid Turkish papers, they no longer leave their homes for fear of being arrested by the police. Report in Esenyurt, a district in the western suburbs of Istanbul, where there is a building that has become, for the Haitians who live there, a prison that does not say its name.
From our correspondent in Istanbul,
It is on the floor, in the corridor of the 17th floor of his building that Max, 28, has installed his bed. Two months ago, he was evicted from his apartment, just after his residence permit in Turkey expired. “ There is no light as you see, he said. It was the only place where I could take refuge. Now it’s a bit cold, so it’s more difficult. »
Since then, his life has been made up of resourcefulness. Every day, he walks around the building looking for a little help. ” In the morning, around 8-9 am, I go downstairs, or else I go to friends, and I spend the day, I bathe. And if there is something to eat, I eat. And then I go back up there again. »
The war in Ukraine changed the situation
Chez Jimmy, they are eight Haitians living in a three-room apartment, all in an irregular situation, since the refusal of the renewal of their residence permit in Turkey. From now on, their only wish is to return to Haiti. But with the war in Ukraine, the journey has become difficult, if not impossible. Transit through Russia, which was open to them, is now prohibited and all the other countries through which they could transit ask them for a visa for which they are not eligible.
Patrick has been turned away several times from Istanbul’s two airports. ” We’re locked up here, we can’t go home, even when we have money, he says. We have no exits. We call people in Haiti to tell them the situation, they tell us we have to go back. But how to do it ? »
Without valid papers in the eyes of the Turkish authorities, they risk being arrested by the police at any time. For Paul, it was after work. He has just returned from 22 days in prison, where he says he was mistreated by a guard: “ I said to him: “why did you push me like that? I didn’t do anything, I’m not a thief”. I spent seven days eating bread and water. Without brushing, without washing. I cried a lot. It’s hard, it’s hard, it’s hard. That’s why I advise all my friends to be careful not to go to jail. »
“Turkey is killing me physically and psychologically”
Being careful sometimes means not leaving your apartment. Christelle, 29, has not been born for two weeks.
” I don’t go out because the police are used to hiding, she confides. And then they approach you, boom. They ask you for a residence permit, you don’t have it, you are arrested and in prison. I have a boy friend who has a residence permit, so if I need something, I call him, he buys it and he brings it to me here. I am imprisoned in my own apartment. Turkey is killing me physically and psychologically. I had come for a better life, but this is hell. »
Making them promise a better life is the business of many agencies based in Haiti. For several thousand euros, they promise their clients a comfortable job and a nice apartment in Istanbul.
Jennifer and her brother were taken in by one of them a year ago. “ They put us in a house where there were at least twelve people, Jennifer explains. And all the jobs they have here are in “factories”, where you work from 7am to 7pm, standing up. And the Turks don’t really respect immigrants. I worked there, they didn’t pay me. »
Last summer, the International Organization for Migration, IOM, chartered a plane to Haiti. This is the only solution offered to Jennifer and the other Haitians to return home, but for the moment no other flight has been announced. For lack of an alternative, some Haitians in the building admit to thinking of crossing the Aegean Sea to reach Europe.