Travel ban upends lives in Haiti, heightens fears for Haitian immigrants

Indianapolis Star

8 hours ago

Luckner Raymond of Haiti was just a month away from his visa appointment when he learned he would no longer be allowed to travel to Indianapolis to meet with U.S.-based colleagues at the charitable non-profit for which he runs Haitian operations.
Planning the trip had been difficult. Travel logistics in Haiti are challenging with major airlines only operating in the northern part of the country. Haitian travelers who wanted to come to the States had to provide assurance at their visa appointments that they would stay no longer than allowed.
But Raymond, 42, was willing to jump through all those hoops to meet with the board of Project Rouj, which he cofounded with Zionsville-based Jamalyn Williamson. The initiative aims to end the cycle of poverty in Haiti by hiring Haitians to build homes made with materials purchased within the country
During his month-long trip to Indiana, Raymond planned to attend trainings and speak with donors and follow-up with another trip next February, for Project Rouj's annual fundraiser.Those plans were put on indefinite hold June 4 when President Donald Trump's administration issued a full ban on travel from the Caribbean nation, making it the only country in the Western Hemisphere with fully restricted travel. The ban took effect June 9, barring nationals from 11 other countries and heightening travel restrictions for those from seven additional countries, including Venezuela and Cuba.
Williamson, who spent two years living in Fondwa, a rural community two hours from the capital, said she cried when she heard her colleague will have to remain in Haiti indefinitely.
'(Raymond) has carried this organization on his back,' she said. 'And we wanted desperately to be able to see him face to face, but also to help him understand that what he's doing is making a big difference, and we trust him and we believe in what he's doing.'
Raymond is just one of the countless Haitians and would-be visitors from the 18 other countries impacted by the policies. Haitians who travel to Miami or New York to do business can no longer make the trip. Those who planned to travel to the U.S. for life-saving medical care may be forced to turn instead to Haiti's dwindling hospitals, which are often understaffed and in dire need of medical supplies and fuel.
The Trump administration cited high visa overstay rates and national security concerns as reasons for issuing the ban against Haiti. Haitians who currently hold visas or green cards are exempt from the ban, as well as children being adopted, people applying for visas in connection with immediate family members who are U.S. citizens and athletes competing in the World Cup or Olympics.
Long before Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, became consumed by gang violence, Pastor Lucame Charles lived and worked there. As a member of the Haitian National Police, he saw firsthand how quickly the political situation was deteriorating and left the country in 2006.
Six days a week, Charles drives a truck for a company that contracts with the U.S. Postal Service. His passion, however, comes from his role as a pastor at the Jesus Christ Worship Center in northwest Indianapolis, which he does without pay.
The congregation sits at 400-500, he said, but Sunday attendance has slipped amid increased U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations and anti-immigrant rhetoric.
'People are afraid to go out or go to church,' Charles said.
The sudden shift in the country's approach to immigration, accompanied by a litany of orders that are often challenged in court, has left immigrants in a state of limbo. Some Haitians who have legal status still fear deportation, Williamson said, unsure of their protections as new orders like the travel ban continue to be announced.
"Not everyone is 100% sure what's right, what's not," she said. "You know, they're scared of ICE. They're scared of just kind of being outside."
The stakes are particularly high for Haitians. Unlike immigrants from some other countries, most Haitians do not come to the U.S. for economic opportunity, Charles said. Instead they come to escape violence.
In some cases, they extend their trip beyond the dates on their visas because there's nowhere safe for them to go.
'They're overstaying because they can't go home,' Exodus Refugee Immigration CEO Cole Varga said.
Now even Haitians who have been granted temporary protected status, a status the U.S. government gives to those living here who cannot safely return to their home countries, face an uncertain future in the U.S.
As the situation deteriorated in Haiti, former president Joe Biden extended this status for Haitians until February 2026, but Trump cancelled that extension earlier this year. TPS status for Haitians is expected to expire Aug. 3, leaving those who currently hold this status vulnerable to deportation.
"Since Trump took office, it's been just an assault on all fronts for all immigrants," Varga said.
The ban is yet another locked door for the thousands of people from restricted countries who just one month ago enjoyed the ability to travel freely to the U.S, immigration advocates say.
For Raymond, learning he would be barred from the U.S. ahead of his travel plans left him feeling embarrassed.
Raymond said he understands why the U.S. might restrict some people — such as criminals — from entering. Still, he said, he hopes the Trump administration will modify its restrictions to allow people like himself the chance to visit America.