On Sunday, amid rising turmoil in Haiti, a charter flight carrying U.S. citizens desperate to escape the chaotic grasp of gang violence touched down at Miami International Airport. Officials from the U.S. State Department confirmed the arrival of the Global X flight from the quieter northern city of Cap-Haïtien, which safely ferried more than 30 American evacuees, CNN reported.
While Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, succumbs to gang control—estimated at 80% according to the UN—residents have been plunged into a dire situation, battling starvation as gangs lay siege to roads and resources. A harrowing journey for those seeking refuge, the U.S. State Department starkly advised Americans to only consider the Cap-Haïtien flights "if you believe you can reach Cap-Haïtien airport safely," as reported by a CBS News Detroit source.
Flights from Haiti had been grounded for two weeks as gang violence escalated, with the airport in Port-au-Prince under gang control. U.S. citizens were notified of the evacuation flights through State Department communications, with those managing to embark on the challenging journey expressing relief upon arrival. Avlot Quessa, one of the passengers from Boston who visited his mother last month, described to the Associated Press, "It's just terrible... The suffering, you can only imagine."
Government officials are assisting the newly arrived evacuees in Miami with determining their next steps, as many of them, like 69-year-old Marie Lucie St. Fleur from West Palm Beach, grapple with the heavy-hearted realization that their country is in upheaval. "I don't feel well at all. I would like to live in my country and I can't," St. Fleur shared her distress while sitting in a wheelchair, signifying the deep-rooted connection many Haitian Americans have to their homeland. As the U.S. embassy tightens security in gang-dominated areas, it stands in a place starkly contrasted against the neighborhood gangs largely control, making sure to fly in additional forces for bolstering their defenses last week, CNN noted.
Meanwhile, the State Department maintains its commitment to helping U.S. citizens flee Haiti, with commercial flight options at a standstill and the security situation permitting it. According to CBS News Detroit, a spokesperson said, "We will continue to assist U.S. citizens as long as commercial options remain unavailable and the security environment permits us to do so." The department is currently engaged in "examining options for departures out of Port-au-Prince" and will inform U.S. citizens about them once arrangements can be made safely and securely.
