‘Not a safe place’: Deported Haitians face violence, uncertainty - USA Today
Haitian deportees are facing severe violence, displacement, and economic instability upon their return to Haiti following the revocation of Temporary Protected Status. The report details the lack of government support and the dangers posed by local gangs.
Why it matters
The humanitarian crisis in Haiti and the impact of U.S. immigration policy changes raise significant questions about the safety and ethics of current deportation practices.
Hear this story Haitians in white detention sweatsuits shuffle off deportation flights in shackles and into the unknown in Haiti’s second-largest city, Cap-Haitien.
Some arrive with small sacks of belongings. Others without their phones, money or identification. They’re given a hot meal, 25,000 Haitian Gourds (about $191), and spend one night in a hotel after being screened by police.
Then they are on their own – back amid the gang violence, displacement and hunger that led many to flee.
“It’s a kind of a nightmare situation for people,” said Yael Schacher, director for the Americas and Europe at Refugees International, who observed an Oct. 8 deportation flight arrival, interviewed deportees and described the scene to USA TODAY.
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