Dozens of Haitians were sent back to their home country by immigration officials on Thursday, marking the first deportation flight conducted by the United States government in months to a country plagued by widespread violence, according to three government officials.
Deportation flights are often seen as a deterrent for unauthorized migrants crossing the southern border. Concerns about migration from Haiti have risen after a gang takeover of its capital, Port-au-Prince, led to the planned resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry.
The deportation flight, the first since January, comes as the Biden administration adopts stricter measures at the southern border to reduce unauthorized entries. President Biden has faced criticism from Republicans regarding the border, and immigration has become a focal point in the election campaign.
Despite lower rates of border crossings in recent months, the deportation flight on Thursday surprised many immigrant advocacy groups. The U.S. government itself advises against travel to Haiti due to issues such as kidnapping, crime, civil unrest, and inadequate healthcare infrastructure.
Guerline Jozef, head of the Haitian Bridge Alliance in San Diego, criticized the deportation, calling it morally wrong and a violation of U.S. and international law.
The Department of Homeland Security confirmed the repatriation flight of around 50 Haitian nationals, stating that individuals are removed if found to lack a legal basis to remain in the United States.
The United Nations reported over 1,500 deaths from gang violence in Haiti this year, describing the country’s situation as catastrophic.
The Biden administration had previously granted temporary protection from deportation to Haitians who entered the U.S. before late 2022 due to ongoing issues in Haiti.
Some congressional Democrats, like Representative Ayanna Pressley, have urged the administration to extend protections to Haitians who entered the U.S. after 2022 and maintain the pause on deportation flights to Haiti.
The restart of deportations drew criticism from House Democrats, with Representative Pramila Jayapal stating that deporting people to Haiti, given the current dangers and lack of central government, should not be happening.
Adam Isaacson of the Washington Office on Latin America noted that Haitians primarily await entry at U.S. ports through a government app rather than crossing the border, questioning the urgency of deporting Haitians given their lower rates of irregular crossings compared to other nationalities.
Thomas Cartwright from Witness at the Border mentioned the lack of recent commercial flights to Port-au-Prince airport and the gunfire incident near the airport last month.
The State Department reported this week that the airport in the Haitian capital is closed, but limited flights to two other airports in the country have resumed.
The deported Haitians were flown to one of those airports, Cap Haitien, a few hours north of the capital. Normally, deported migrants are flown to the capital, but flights to Cap Haitien were conducted in 2021 as well.
