The Biden administration reportedly deported more than 60 Haitian nationals back to the Caribbean island on Thursday, a day after the U.S. State Department warned American citizens to flee the country amid ongoing civil unrest and political turmoil.
The deportation flight marks the second to Haiti this month, according to The Hill. Just before 8:00 a.m. ET on Thursday, a plane left Alexandria, Louisiana, and reportedly arrived in Port-au-Prince shortly after 11 a.m.
Guerline Jozef, co-founder of the Haitian Bridge Alliance, an immigrant advocacy group in the U.S., reportedly called the move from the Biden administration a “travesty” to The Miami Herald, condemning its decision to evacuate U.S. nationals while deporting Haitian migrants simultaneously.
“This is a travesty for the United States to be sending any deportation flights to Haiti right now,” Jozef said. “It should be viewed as a human rights violation and a potential crime against humanity.”
Jozef reportedly heard from advocates that the flight and another U.S. government-chartered flight were en route on Thursday. The group’s co-founder urged Biden officials to turn the deportation flight transporting 66 people around, although the report remains unconfirmed.
“We can only assume [the second flight is] going to support the evacuation of people who are of U.S. interest,” Jozef said. “They are themselves sending people to what they believe is danger. I don’t care who is on the plane at this point, whether it’s people being deported from the border or elsewhere.”
The U.S. Embassy in Haiti issued a security alert on Wednesday for American citizens to depart the island.
“Given the current security situation and infrastructure challenges, U.S. citizens in Haiti should depart Haiti as soon as possible via commercial or private transport,” a news release said.
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The statement added that Americans there should “use extreme caution in traveling around the country” and “avoid demonstrations and large gatherings of people.”
“If you encounter a roadblock, turn around and get to a safe area,” the embassy said.
Haiti has been experiencing ongoing civil unrest and political turmoil after the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in July 2021, according to reports.
Violence has surged in the capital of Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas after armed gangs seized up to 80% of control.
According to ABC News, United Nations officials said on Thursday that 1,860 people were reported killed, injured, or kidnapped in Haiti from April to June. The jarring number reportedly marks a 14% increase compared with the first three months of 2023.
“The judicial system remained dysfunctional due to the persistence of longstanding challenges, notably corruption, political interference, and recurrent strikes by judicial actors,” the report stated.
A State Department spokesperson told the Miami Herald that the Department of Homeland Security has been monitoring the situation in Haiti.
“At this time, removals of Haitian nationals encountered at our southern border and repatriation of Haitian nationals encountered at sea continue,” the spokesperson said. “Since January, more than 63,000 Haitians have been vetted and approved for travel and more than 50,000 have arrived. We encourage anyone seeking to migrate to the U.S. to do so via legal, safe pathways. Those interdicted at sea are subject to immediate repatriation, and those encountered in the United States without a legal basis to remain are subject to removal.”