The Biden administration sent its first deportation flight to Haiti in months Thursday — despite the island becoming engulfed in bloodthirsty gang violence that has taken over large parts of the country, according to Border Report.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) flew roughly 50 Haitians back to the Caribbean nation, operating the first deportation flight to Haiti since January 2023, when the flights had been operating on a monthly basis, according to Witness at the Border, which tracks deportation flights.
The plane left Alexandria, Louisiana, a hub for deportation operations, and arrived in Cap-Haitien, Haiti, after a stop in Miami, according to the group.
Meanwhile, armed gangs continue their siege on Haiti and attacked parts of the country’s capital, Port-au-Prince, Sunday ahead of the installation of a transitional government, according to Reuters.
Gangs have looted the State University of Haiti’s medical facility and blocked supply routes, leading to shortages of fuel, food and basic necessities, Reuters reported, citing Radio RFM.
“DHS is monitoring the situation in Haiti and coordinating closely with the State Department and international partners. At this time, irregular migration flows through the Caribbean and irregular encounters of Haitian nationals at the southwest border remain low,” a DHS spokesperson told The Post.
As gang violence began heating up in Haiti in March, Border Patrol agents in Miami were warned of the potential of Haitian migrants showing up on the shores of Florida, according to an internal agency email previously obtained by The Post.
“One landing will cripple the station and our ability to respond to other traffic,” the email to agents read.
The Coast Guard continues returning migrants who travel via sea and repatriated 65 of them to Haiti on March 12. More than 131 migrants have been returned to Haiti by the Coast Guard since Oct. 1.
“All irregular migration journeys, especially maritime routes, are extremely dangerous, unforgiving, and often result in loss of life. DHS will continue to enforce US laws and policy throughout the Florida Straits and the Caribbean region, as well as at the southwest border.
“US policy is to return noncitizens who do not establish a legal basis to remain in the United States.”
Many of Haiti’s gangs have joined forces under the name “Viv Ansanm,” or living together, to take over the country’s capital.
Prime Minister Ariel Henry said he’d resign March 11, but there has yet to be any replacement political structure put in place.
The gangs have already taken about 90% of Port-au-Prince, leading to the displacement of an estimated 360,000 people, according to Reuters.
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