A Florida couple’s trip to the Dominican Republic for a wedding turned into a period of anxiety when they left their 2-year-old son with relatives in Haiti, only for the boy to become trapped due to the country’s escalating turmoil.
After almost three weeks, their son Julien finally departed Haiti and returned to Florida on Wednesday, reuniting with his parents, Philippe-Olivier Armand and Olivia Turnier.
The evacuation of Julien was part of a trend of hurried departures from Haiti, which has been rocked by a surge in gang violence, transforming parts of the capital into a war zone and causing the main airport to shut down.
Mr. Armand, a 36-year-old Haitian businessman who splits his time between Haiti and Miami, described the ordeal of leaving Julien in Haiti on March 1 as a 48-hour trip that extended into two and a half stressful weeks.
Julien, along with seven cousins and six other relatives, took a helicopter from Port-au-Prince to Cap Haitien on Wednesday morning. They were then flown to Florida by a charter plane sent by Florida’s Department of Emergency Management.
The U.S. State Department reported helping 160 Americans exit Haiti since Sunday, using flights to the U.S. and helicopters to the Dominican Republic.
Haiti’s capital has been engulfed in violence following an offensive by gangs against Prime Minister Ariel Henry’s government in late February, resulting in attacks on police stations, government buildings, hospitals, banks, and private residences.
Mr. Henry, unable to return to Port-au-Prince, has agreed to step down once a transitional government is established. Negotiations for the composition of this government are progressing slowly.
As part of an international effort to stabilize Haiti, a mission of 1,000 police officers led by Kenya and sanctioned by the United Nations is slated to deploy after an interim government is in place.
Gangs control crucial routes in and out of Port-au-Prince, blocking access to the seaport and cutting off the city’s essential supplies. Affluent areas, like Pétionville, have also come under attack.
Over 1,000 Americans have submitted “crisis intake” forms to seek evacuation from Haiti, but evacuations will hinge on security conditions, according to the State Department. Florida is arranging its own evacuations, with Governor Ron DeSantis confirming more flights to follow.
Mr. Armand recounted how the evacuation was organized last minute, with family members directed to a dirt field in Pétionville where the helicopter picked them up. The operation was clandestine and coordinated with the help of a Florida foundation led by former NFL player Jack Brewer.
Americans on U.S. government-coordinated flights must agree to reimburse the government, although costs are not expected to exceed commercial flight prices. Passengers on the flight to Florida were exempt from charges.
With Port-au-Prince’s airport closed, evacuations have become increasingly perilous due to gang-controlled roads known for frequent kidnappings and ransom demands.
Many Haitians are urging the U.S. to send military reinforcements to address the security crisis in Haiti, rather than focusing solely on evacuating citizens and diplomatic personnel.
Reginald Delva, a Haitian security consultant, criticized the emphasis on evacuations, stating that it’s time to prioritize addressing the security situation.
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