Hundreds of Haitians deported by the U.S. in recent days left their homeland almost a decade ago. They're now returning to a nation that is even more violent, impoverished and politically unstable than when they left.
The 7.2-magnitude earthquake that struck southern Haiti last month and killed more than 2,200 people also destroyed her family’s home.
Gangs control roughly a third of the capital of Port-au-Prince, where some traffic circles are littered with burned tires and other materials piled up to be used as barricades. Overcrowded buses known as tap-taps kick dust into air already clogged with columns of black smoke that rise from communities where some warehouses and police stations have been looted.
More than 320 migrants were deported to Haiti on Sunday, and two flights arrived early Monday afternoon, with one plane carrying some 130 migrants, according to Haiti’s Office of National Migration. Additional flightsDoctors Without Borders, which recently closed a clinic in one of the capital’s most violent areas, demanded that the U.S. stop deporting migrants based on humanitarian grounds.
It’s not just the capital. The country of more than 11 million people is struggling with a nationwide spike in gang activity, soaring inflation rates and dwindling jobs. About 60% of people earn less than $2 a day, and those returning to Haiti will be competing with the tens of thousands of out-of-work locals seeking employment.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Haitian migrants in Texas worry as deportations begin: 'I'll die in Haiti'Haitians who fled their country following the 2010 earthquake are being flown back to the island; some fear for their lives given the lack of security in the impoverished nation.
Read more »
EXPLAINER: Biden uses Trump-era tool against Haiti migrantsThe Biden administration is relying on a contested Trump-era policy - based on a public health law known as Title 42 - as it disperses thousands of Haitian migrants along the U.S.-Mexico border. Here's a look at the law and the controversy surrounding it.
Read more »
Plea for Haiti aid amid political crisis, quake clean-upInternational aid agencies have urged donors to open their wallets for quake-hit Haiti, saying their hesitancy to offer funding amid ongoing political uncertainty could keep tens of thousands of children in the disaster zone out of school.
Read more »
Biden recognizes the 10th anniversary of ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ repealPresident Joe Biden on Monday recognized the 10-year anniversary of the end of “don’t ask, don’t tell,” a policy that forced gay and lesbian military service
Read more »