Florida is braced for an influx of desperate refugees fleeing violence-stricken Haiti as the country inches closer to a civil war.
The Caribbean nation has been plunged into chaos after crime boss Jimmy ‘Barbecue’ Cherizier seized control, calling for a ‘bloody uprising’ to depose Haiti’s Prime Minister, Ariel Henry.
Henry, 74, stepped down on Monday the amid escalating brutality, which continued even after the announcement.
Gang violence has left the dead piling up in the streets of the capital Port-au-Prince and so far displaced more than 15,000 people. The US State Department has not indicated how many Americans are among those caught up in the chaos.
On Wednesday, Governor Ron DeSantis announced he is deploying 250 additional state guardsmen to the southern coast of Florida to help ‘protect’ it.
It comes after the US Coast Guard repatriated 65 Haitian asylum seekers after their vessel was spotted in distress near Great Inagua, Bahamas.
Florida is braced for an influx of desperate refugees fleeing violence-stricken Haiti as the country inches closer to a civil war
Cherizier (pictured) warned of a ‘genocide’ unless Haiti’s Prime Minister Ariel Henry stepped down
Haiti has been plunged into chaos after crime boss Jimmy ‘Barbecue’ Cherizier seized control, calling for a ‘bloody uprising’
Last Tuesday the US Coast Guard repatriated 65 Haitian asylum seekers after their vessel (pictured) was spotted in distress
The migrants were picked up near Great Inagua, Bahamas and returned to Haiti despite the ongoing conflict
The asylum seekers were taken aboard Coast Guard Cutter Venturous last week where they were given food, water and basic medical care before being returned to Haiti.
‘Given the circumstances in Haiti, I have directed the Division of Emergency Management, the Florida State Guard, and state law enforcement agencies to deploy over 250 additional officers and soldiers and over a dozen air and sea craft to the southern coast of Florida to protect our state,’ DeSantis said in a post on X.
‘No state has done more to supplement the (under-resourced) U.S. Coast Guard’s interdiction efforts; we cannot have illegal aliens coming to Florida.’
However, a memo to Florida Border agents advised that the lawlessness in the country means it is unlikely any migrants picked up now will be repatriated, according to a memo seen by The New York Post.
The email to staff warned that even just one vessel landing could overwhelm the maritime agency.
‘One landing will cripple the station and our ability to respond to other traffic,’ the email to agents read.
Haitian-American Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick warned the unrest could pose a threat to US Security amid concerns some of the arrivals could be from violent gangs.
In recent days, a jailbreak in Haiti led to almost 4,000 prisoners being liberated and left to roam the streets of the besieged country.
Cherfilus-McCormick called for aid to ‘fight the gangs’ and prevent violence spilling into the country.
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken called the situation in Haiti ‘one of the most urgent challenges we face as an international community.’ On Monday, he pledged $33 million more in aid from United States Agency International Development (USAID).
A woman walks past burning tires during a demonstration following the resignation of its Prime Minister Ariel Henry, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on Tuesday
Ariel Henry announced his resignation on Monday but the violence showed no sign of abating in the aftermath
The unrest continued after representatives of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) announced a transitional council to steer the country through until a new leader is elected
Nearby jurisdictions including the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos have also reported a surge in migrant crossings.
On Monday Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force intercepted a Haitian boat carrying 140 migrants.
But Human Rights Watch has called for a pause on all deportations warning they are ‘life-threatening’ in the current climate.
‘It is unconscionable that any government would send people to Haiti while it experiences such a deterioration in security and a heightened risk to everyone’s life and physical integrity,’ said César Muñoz, senior Americas researcher at Human Rights Watch.
‘No government should return people to Haiti. And the United States, which accounts for the vast majority of returns, should end the unnecessary and illegitimate use of a public health regulation for abusive expulsions of Haitians.’
A number of Americans have been left stranded in Haiti after a bloodthirsty gang’s attempt to take over the main international airport shuttered the facility, which remained close as of Wednesday.
Florida-based Missionary Flights International said on Tuesday it had been contacted by more than 50 Americans and Canadians desperately trying to escape.
The volatile situation on the ground meant that the non-profit had been unable to fly in to country due to the risk of its planes being attacked.
However Republican Rep. Cory Mills was able to evacuate 10 Americans working at an orphanage on Tuesday.
Among them was columnist Mitch Albom and his wife, who were visiting the facility he founded.
Cherizier called for the international to ‘give Haiti a chance’ and issued a warning to anyone aiding Henry
In recent days the country has been rocked by violence which has left the dead piling up in the streets and displaced more than 15,000 people
Albom had described his terror as the situation unfolded and blasted the Biden administration for its handling of the crisis.
His comments were echoed by Mills, who accused the president of ‘abandoning’ US citizens.
‘This mission reiterates a disturbing reality under President Biden’s leadership: American lives are continually jeopardized,’ Mills said. ‘I have led missions to rescue Americans multiple times when Joe Biden has deserted them.
‘There’s a clear pattern of abandonment,’ Mills said, citing his rescue missions in Afghanistan during the chaotic 2021 withdrawal.
He also safely evacuated Americans from Israel in late 2023.
‘Yet again, this group was left behind by Biden and his State Department after requesting their help in-country
Heavily-armed gangs have been in firefights with cops and soldiers, tried to seize the airport and targeted government sites.
The U.S. Southern Command said the fleet-anti-terrorism security team, known as FAST, was deployed to the embassy in the nation’s capital.
US reps have warned the instability has the potential to deepen Haiti’s refugee crisis. Pictured: Coast Guard Cutter Venturous assisting Haitian migrants in 2022
There are fears for US security amid the unrest as the violence has included a jailbreak which freed almost 4,00 convicts and left them free to roam the streets
Human Rights Watch has called for a pause on all deportations warning they are ‘life-threatening’ in the current climate
On Monday Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force intercepted a Haitian boat carrying 140 migrants
The embassy is still open, but most staff have been airlifted out and operations are limited.
The decision came after a wave of attacks across the city at state institutions including police stations and the country’s Ministry of Interior, which was burned on Saturday.
Almost 4,000 criminals were freed and left to roam the street after criminal gangs stormed the country’s two largest prison’s on Sunday.
The violence unfolded after Henry flew to Kenya to try and shore up support for an international police force to restore order to the streets of Haiti, which he said would enable him to call an election.
Kenya has since said it will not send any force until Haiti forms a new government.
Henry assumed power following the assassination of the country’s previous Prime Minister in 2021.
However, his opponents accused him of trying to hang onto power, with Cherizier warning of a ‘genocide’ unless he stepped down.
Henry agreed but has been unable to return to Haiti since, amid threats for his safety which were heightened after Cherizier issued a chilling warning to anyone in Haiti deemed to be aiding him.
Video showed the former police officer firing a gun in the streets as he urged the international community to ‘give Haiti a chance’.
The violence escalated after Henry flew to Kenya to try and shore up support for an international police force
The UN has now warned Haiti is on the brink of a devastating hunger crisis, with aid operations at risk of ‘grinding to a halt’
It is not yet known who will take over from Henry. Representatives from the Caribbean Community CARICOM have put forward the suggestion of a transitional council, which was met with further protests.
The gangs are likely to opt for a ‘troika’ – a government composed of three members selected by them, according to Al Jazeera.
On Tuesday, there were signs of an improvement in the security situation, with no new attacks on police station or government offices, the outlet reported.
The main CPS cargo port had reopened, local news outlet Le Nouvelliste reported, while some fuel from the Varreux facility near the port had been allowed out.
But Radio Television Caraibes, the country’s oldest station, had fled their headquarters citing the instability.
The UN also warned Haiti is on the brink of a devastating hunger crisis, with aid operations at risk of ‘grinding to a halt’.
Cindy McCain, World Food Program’s Executive Director, said the spreading violence is keeping aid workers from reaching communities in need at a time when donor funds are drying up.
‘Haiti needs more than just boots on the ground,’ she said. ‘Efforts to restore law and order must be matched by an equally effective humanitarian response to meet soaring needs.’
On Tuesday, there were signs of an improvement in the security situation, with no new attacks on police station or government offices,
The main CPS cargo port had reopened, local news outlet Le Nouvelliste reported, while some fuel from the Varreux facility near the port had been allowed ou
It is not yet known who will take power. CARICOM the Caribbean Community has put forward the suggestion of a transitional council, but this was met with protests
In Haiti, Jean-Martin Bauer, WFP country director, also warned of an impending famine and stressed that a failure to act will lead to ‘unrest, strife and mass migration’.
The country has struggled with political instability and some of the highest poverty rates in the world which is only being exacerbated by the current crisis.
Coast Guard crews repatriated 131 migrants to Haiti in fiscal year 2024, which began on Oct. 1, 2023.
Meanwhile at the southern border, U.S. authorities encountered Haitians more than 76,100 times in the fiscal year 2023, according to the Migration Policy Institute.