US to continue deporting Haitians as it evacuates its citizens

The Department of Homeland Security spokesperson announced on Thursday that the United States will continue to deport Haitian migrants to their country despite the ongoing gang warfare in Haiti.

They stated that the removals and repatriation of Haitian nationals encountered at the southern border or at sea will continue, mentioning that the Biden administration has expanded parole processes for these migrants.

The spokesperson added that individuals intercepted at sea will be immediately repatriated, while those found in the United States without legal status will be subject to removal.

The United Nations and human rights organizations have called on the United States and other countries to cease this practice.

According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, more than 125,000 Haitians were encountered by U.S. border authorities between October of the previous year and July.

A document from Homeland Security, seen by Reuters, revealed that a flight carrying 66 Haitian migrants arrived at the Toussaint Louverture International Airport in the capital city, Port-au-Prince, early on Thursday.

Simultaneously, a small group, including individuals who had arrived by car from the U.S. diplomatic mission, gathered on a runway at the same airport to board a U.S. charter airline Omni Air International’s Boeing 767 plane headed towards the U.S.

On Thursday, the U.N. Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH) released a statement stating that the humanitarian situation has significantly worsened in Haiti during 2023. They estimated that since the beginning of the year, more than 2,500 people have been killed and 970 kidnapped.

The statement also highlighted that the recent escalation in violence over the past two weeks of August alone resulted in the deaths of at least 71 individuals. Additionally, more than ten thousand people have been forcibly displaced, seeking refuge in makeshift sites and with host families.

The report was compiled by Ted Hesson in Washington, Ralph Tedy Erol in Port-au-Prince, and Sarah Morland in Mexico City. Stephen Coates is credited with editing the story.