A flight that evacuated 80 Americans from Haiti arrived in Miami on Thursday, marking the second government-sponsored flight to South Florida this week, while violent gangs continue to cause great destruction in the Caribbean nation.
The State Department has advised all Americans to leave Haiti, and also evacuated non-essential staff from the U.S. Embassy earlier this month. evacuating The situation in the capital, Port-au-Prince, is chaotic, largely under the control of rival street gangs, as a transitional government established last week gains stability .
The The initial flight with Americans departed from Cap-Haïtien, a city on the country’s northern coast, on Sunday, carrying over 30 people. The second flight on Thursday also took off from this port city and included some Americans who had traveled from the capital, six hours away.
Commercial flights from Port-au-Prince have been stopped since March 4, as gangs surrounded the country’s largest airport, forcing its closure. Haiti’s former prime minister, Ariel Henry, announced his resignation last week after being unable to leave Puerto Rico due to the airport shutdown. The Biden Administration has also provided financial support for a United Nations initiative aiming to establish a multinational police force to quell the violence, although the effort has encountered logistical challenges and .
obstacles in Congress White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre reiterated warnings to Americans in the country to depart on Wednesday..
“We’ve been emphasizing that the US government cannot guarantee the evacuation of all American citizens due to the dangerous situation on the ground,” she stated. “However, we have informed registered Americans of the State Department that we are exploring various options to help them leave from Port-au-Prince and Cap-Haïtien.”
She also mentioned that the State Department had arranged helicopter flights to transport 15 Americans from Port-au-Prince to Santo Domingo, the Dominican Republic's capital.
The Biden Administration and Florida governments have prepared for potential influxes of migrants escaping the violence. Governor Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.)
sent nearly 50 National Guard members and equipment to South Florida in anticipation last week, while the Biden Administration has considered using military facilities at Guantánamo Bay to process migrants, deployed reported CNN. A flight evacuating 80 Americans from Haiti landed in Miami on Thursday, the second State Department-sponsored flight to South Florida this week as gang violence continues to ravage the Caribbean country. The State Department has urged all Americans to leave Haiti, evacuating the U.S. Embassy of non-essential personnel earlier this month. The capital of Port-au-Prince….
