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Haiti reels as Trump severs a lifeline

Haiti reels as Trump severs a lifeline

Miami Herald16 hours ago

Born in northeast Haiti with a heart defect, Brad Mertens Joseph is 6, has difficulty walking and is still in diapers.
His parents, accustomed to a dangerous nine-hour overnight bus ride to see cardiologists in the country's violent capital, had finally found a solution to their son's medical ailment, caused by a hole in his heart.
It involved open-heart surgery in Akron, Ohio, arranged by a nonprofit.
Those plans collapsed this past week when President Donald Trump issued an order banning people from a dozen countries, including Haiti, who don't already have valid travel visas, from entering the United States
'When I heard that, I was really upset, and I wondered, 'What are we going to do?'' said the boy's father, Dieudonné Joseph. 'I was panicking, and I'm still panicking.'
The Josephs are among the many Haitians who are caught in the middle of Trump's sweeping travel ban. From young professionals to medical residents to longtime visitors whose visas had lapsed, Haitians are bracing for the consequences of having a lifeline abruptly cut.
With its proximity to Florida, a long (often difficult) history with the United States, and grave political and social upheaval, Haiti has strong family and economic ties with its northern neighbor. People have businesses in both countries, and most middle-class Haitians have close relatives in South Florida or New York.
The ban was the latest in a series of blows the United States has dealt to Haiti, a nation currently overrun by gangs and in the throes of a security crisis, and which is heavily dependent on international aid organizations and remittances from migrants in the United States.
'We feel like not only Haiti has been hit very hard, but also the whole world has been hit very hard by this decision, especially those small countries who believed the United States of America were their best friends,' said Joseph, 42, who works at a bank.
If Brad does not receive the surgery, he is not likely to live past 30, said Dr. John Clark, a pediatric cardiologist at Akron Children's Hospital who was set to treat the boy this summer.
More than 300 other Haitians, mostly children, are on waiting lists for surgery and are now unable to get treatment because they are barred from traveling to the United States, said Owen Robinson, the executive director of the International Cardiac Alliance, a nonprofit group based in the U.S. that arranged for Brad's treatment in Ohio.
Finding enough doctors and hospitals in other countries to make up for the sudden loss will be extraordinarily difficult.
'If we could, we would,' Robinson said.
Haitian Hearts, an organization in Illinois, was hoping to secure travel for Suze Lapierre, 46, who had cardiac surgery in the United States 21 years ago and needs a valve replaced. She is unemployed, was forced to flee her home in Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital, because of gang violence, and, with most hospitals there closed, is out of any other options for her heart problem.
In announcing the ban, Trump said that he had decided to 'fully restrict' people from Haiti because visitors from there overstayed their visas at least 25% of the time.
'I cannot be mad at Donald Trump. He is building his country, and he has the right to do it the way he wants,' Lapierre said in a telephone interview. 'I believe we have to fix our own country.'
Haiti is engulfed in an extraordinary political, humanitarian and security crisis. Its last elected president was assassinated nearly four years ago, and the resulting power vacuum created an opening for gangs, long supported by the country's political and economic elite, to thrive.
The armed groups joined forces last year in an explosion of violence that forced more than 1 million people from their homes and killed more than 5,000 people.
The Trump administration recently declared the gangs terrorist organizations, a designation that helped land Haiti on the list of banned nations.
The Trump administration also rescinded an immigration designation known as Temporary Protected Status that shielded more than 500,000 Haitians from deportation and revoked a program that had allowed more than 200,000 Haitians to move to the United States.
Trump's proclamation said the secretary of state could issue travel waivers in cases that were in the 'national interest' of the United States. Asked to clarify if that could apply to children with medical conditions, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security offered a statement that did not answer the question.
'President Trump's action to limit the entry of foreign nationals from countries who have a significant terrorist presence, inadequate screening and vetting processes, and high visa overstay rates will help secure the American homeland and make our communities safer,' Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in the statement.
The State Department said in a statement that there could be case-by-case waivers but added that it would not 'get into hypotheticals or specific cases about application' of the president's order.
In some ways, Haiti was already under a de facto travel ban: The main international airport in Port-au-Prince has been closed since November after gangs fired at several U.S. aircraft.
With the main airport closed, the U.S. Embassy on limited staffing and roads to another airport too dangerous, travelers have had to spend thousands of dollars to first go by helicopter to Cap-Haitien, in northern Haiti, and then fly to Barbados, Jamaica or other countries with functioning U.S. embassies to obtain or renew the visas they need to enter the United States.
The onerous and expensive journey means many Haitians have visas that have now expired.
That has left families and businesspeople with tough choices, said Pierre A. Noel, executive director of the Haiti Development Institute, a Boston-based nonprofit.
Many Haitian professionals who have remained in Haiti through the turmoil had sent their children to safety in the United States and now risk long separations, he said. With graduation season in full swing, Haitian parents are at a loss about what to do.
People working in Haiti and currently traveling in the United States are having to make decisions now on whether they should go back home and when, Noel said. 'And if they do go back, when would they next be able to see their family,' he said.
People with businesses that rely on unencumbered travel between the United States and Haiti are deciding whether to keep their companies afloat and retain their workers, he said.
Several Haitians interviewed expressed disappointment at the United States for, among other things, the well-known flow of illicit guns from Florida to Haitian gangs.
Still, many people also stressed that the travel ban underscores the need to strengthen the interim government ruling Haiti until a new presidential election can be held.
Cassandre V., 49, who lives in Port-au-Prince, said her visa expires in a year and is praying that her aging parents in the United States do not get sick. She spoke on the condition that her last name not be published because she did not have permission from her employer to speak to the news media.
'We feel like the States let Haiti down,' she said. 'What is going on? Are they leaving us to die? Every one of us?'
Wolf Pamphile, executive director of the Haiti Policy House, a Washington-based research institute, said even Haitians with visas or U.S. residency are afraid to travel to the United States.
'This is a huge slap in the face,' Pamphile said. 'This should be a defining moment for the Haitian government. What are they going to do?'
Haiti's prime minister declined to comment, and its presidential council — a committee formed to govern the country until elections are held -- did not respond to requests for comment.
The Haitian Foreign Ministry, in a statement Thursday, said it was working to find a 'rapid' solution, especially for businesspeople and families divided between Haiti and the United States.
'This decision comes at a moment when the Haitian government is striving, with the help of its international partners, to fight the insecurity and to strengthen border security,' the Foreign Ministry said.
Humanitarian groups stressed that the ban would hamper their ability to train Haitian staff and government technocrats.
'If we want to not be an NGO in Haiti forever, we need to be able to strengthen our relationship with the public sector,' said Sasha Kramer, executive director of SOIL, which works on improving Haiti's sanitation.
Zanmi Lasante, an organization allied with Partners in Health, which runs medical facilities in Haiti, said at least 40 of its Haitian staff will be unable to attend training in the United States.
'We feel like we are on our own,' said Wesler Lambert, Zanmi Lasante's executive director.
He said he would welcome senior members of the Trump administration to visit Haiti and 'meet the inspiring people they are excluding and witness the lifesaving work they are jeopardizing.'
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
Copyright 2025

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Haiti reels as Trump severs a lifeline
Haiti reels as Trump severs a lifeline

Miami Herald

time16 hours ago

  • Miami Herald

Haiti reels as Trump severs a lifeline

Born in northeast Haiti with a heart defect, Brad Mertens Joseph is 6, has difficulty walking and is still in diapers. His parents, accustomed to a dangerous nine-hour overnight bus ride to see cardiologists in the country's violent capital, had finally found a solution to their son's medical ailment, caused by a hole in his heart. It involved open-heart surgery in Akron, Ohio, arranged by a nonprofit. Those plans collapsed this past week when President Donald Trump issued an order banning people from a dozen countries, including Haiti, who don't already have valid travel visas, from entering the United States 'When I heard that, I was really upset, and I wondered, 'What are we going to do?'' said the boy's father, Dieudonné Joseph. 'I was panicking, and I'm still panicking.' The Josephs are among the many Haitians who are caught in the middle of Trump's sweeping travel ban. From young professionals to medical residents to longtime visitors whose visas had lapsed, Haitians are bracing for the consequences of having a lifeline abruptly cut. With its proximity to Florida, a long (often difficult) history with the United States, and grave political and social upheaval, Haiti has strong family and economic ties with its northern neighbor. People have businesses in both countries, and most middle-class Haitians have close relatives in South Florida or New York. The ban was the latest in a series of blows the United States has dealt to Haiti, a nation currently overrun by gangs and in the throes of a security crisis, and which is heavily dependent on international aid organizations and remittances from migrants in the United States. 'We feel like not only Haiti has been hit very hard, but also the whole world has been hit very hard by this decision, especially those small countries who believed the United States of America were their best friends,' said Joseph, 42, who works at a bank. If Brad does not receive the surgery, he is not likely to live past 30, said Dr. John Clark, a pediatric cardiologist at Akron Children's Hospital who was set to treat the boy this summer. More than 300 other Haitians, mostly children, are on waiting lists for surgery and are now unable to get treatment because they are barred from traveling to the United States, said Owen Robinson, the executive director of the International Cardiac Alliance, a nonprofit group based in the U.S. that arranged for Brad's treatment in Ohio. Finding enough doctors and hospitals in other countries to make up for the sudden loss will be extraordinarily difficult. 'If we could, we would,' Robinson said. Haitian Hearts, an organization in Illinois, was hoping to secure travel for Suze Lapierre, 46, who had cardiac surgery in the United States 21 years ago and needs a valve replaced. She is unemployed, was forced to flee her home in Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital, because of gang violence, and, with most hospitals there closed, is out of any other options for her heart problem. In announcing the ban, Trump said that he had decided to 'fully restrict' people from Haiti because visitors from there overstayed their visas at least 25% of the time. 'I cannot be mad at Donald Trump. He is building his country, and he has the right to do it the way he wants,' Lapierre said in a telephone interview. 'I believe we have to fix our own country.' Haiti is engulfed in an extraordinary political, humanitarian and security crisis. Its last elected president was assassinated nearly four years ago, and the resulting power vacuum created an opening for gangs, long supported by the country's political and economic elite, to thrive. The armed groups joined forces last year in an explosion of violence that forced more than 1 million people from their homes and killed more than 5,000 people. The Trump administration recently declared the gangs terrorist organizations, a designation that helped land Haiti on the list of banned nations. The Trump administration also rescinded an immigration designation known as Temporary Protected Status that shielded more than 500,000 Haitians from deportation and revoked a program that had allowed more than 200,000 Haitians to move to the United States. Trump's proclamation said the secretary of state could issue travel waivers in cases that were in the 'national interest' of the United States. Asked to clarify if that could apply to children with medical conditions, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security offered a statement that did not answer the question. 'President Trump's action to limit the entry of foreign nationals from countries who have a significant terrorist presence, inadequate screening and vetting processes, and high visa overstay rates will help secure the American homeland and make our communities safer,' Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in the statement. The State Department said in a statement that there could be case-by-case waivers but added that it would not 'get into hypotheticals or specific cases about application' of the president's order. In some ways, Haiti was already under a de facto travel ban: The main international airport in Port-au-Prince has been closed since November after gangs fired at several U.S. aircraft. With the main airport closed, the U.S. Embassy on limited staffing and roads to another airport too dangerous, travelers have had to spend thousands of dollars to first go by helicopter to Cap-Haitien, in northern Haiti, and then fly to Barbados, Jamaica or other countries with functioning U.S. embassies to obtain or renew the visas they need to enter the United States. The onerous and expensive journey means many Haitians have visas that have now expired. That has left families and businesspeople with tough choices, said Pierre A. Noel, executive director of the Haiti Development Institute, a Boston-based nonprofit. Many Haitian professionals who have remained in Haiti through the turmoil had sent their children to safety in the United States and now risk long separations, he said. With graduation season in full swing, Haitian parents are at a loss about what to do. People working in Haiti and currently traveling in the United States are having to make decisions now on whether they should go back home and when, Noel said. 'And if they do go back, when would they next be able to see their family,' he said. People with businesses that rely on unencumbered travel between the United States and Haiti are deciding whether to keep their companies afloat and retain their workers, he said. Several Haitians interviewed expressed disappointment at the United States for, among other things, the well-known flow of illicit guns from Florida to Haitian gangs. Still, many people also stressed that the travel ban underscores the need to strengthen the interim government ruling Haiti until a new presidential election can be held. Cassandre V., 49, who lives in Port-au-Prince, said her visa expires in a year and is praying that her aging parents in the United States do not get sick. She spoke on the condition that her last name not be published because she did not have permission from her employer to speak to the news media. 'We feel like the States let Haiti down,' she said. 'What is going on? Are they leaving us to die? Every one of us?' Wolf Pamphile, executive director of the Haiti Policy House, a Washington-based research institute, said even Haitians with visas or U.S. residency are afraid to travel to the United States. 'This is a huge slap in the face,' Pamphile said. 'This should be a defining moment for the Haitian government. What are they going to do?' Haiti's prime minister declined to comment, and its presidential council — a committee formed to govern the country until elections are held -- did not respond to requests for comment. The Haitian Foreign Ministry, in a statement Thursday, said it was working to find a 'rapid' solution, especially for businesspeople and families divided between Haiti and the United States. 'This decision comes at a moment when the Haitian government is striving, with the help of its international partners, to fight the insecurity and to strengthen border security,' the Foreign Ministry said. Humanitarian groups stressed that the ban would hamper their ability to train Haitian staff and government technocrats. 'If we want to not be an NGO in Haiti forever, we need to be able to strengthen our relationship with the public sector,' said Sasha Kramer, executive director of SOIL, which works on improving Haiti's sanitation. Zanmi Lasante, an organization allied with Partners in Health, which runs medical facilities in Haiti, said at least 40 of its Haitian staff will be unable to attend training in the United States. 'We feel like we are on our own,' said Wesler Lambert, Zanmi Lasante's executive director. He said he would welcome senior members of the Trump administration to visit Haiti and 'meet the inspiring people they are excluding and witness the lifesaving work they are jeopardizing.' This article originally appeared in The New York Times. Copyright 2025

Trump's travel ban stalls lifesaving treatment for Haitian children who need to travel for surgery
Trump's travel ban stalls lifesaving treatment for Haitian children who need to travel for surgery

Yahoo

time2 days ago

  • Yahoo

Trump's travel ban stalls lifesaving treatment for Haitian children who need to travel for surgery

Leaders of an aid organization that has sent more than 100 Haitian children with serious cardiac conditions to the U.S. for heart surgery said President Donald Trump's ban on travelers from 19 countries will stall or cancel lifesaving procedures for at least a dozen children or young adults. The ban, which goes into effect Monday, has led to widespread uncertainty for many and drawn condemnation from international leaders. The proclamation issued Tuesday offered exceptions for those who are lawful permanent U.S. residents and those traveling to the U.S. for the World Cup and the Olympics, among other examples. No such mention was made for cases of medical necessity, such as those who are seeking treatment in the U.S. through the International Cardiac Alliance. The International Cardiac Alliance's total waitlist for Haitians, ranging from infants to young adults, totals at least 316 people who need heart surgery, said Executive Director Owen Robinson. Some are placed in hospitals in the Dominican Republic and occasionally the Cayman Islands. But there are currently five open surgical slots in the U.S. 'Some of them might be able to wait a few months, and others, if they don't go now, they're going to pass away very quickly,' Robinson said. The president's executive order adds that the secretary of state can issue exemptions for visas in cases that 'serve a United States national interest.' It is unclear if clients of the International Cardiac Alliance with medical needs would fit into that description. Neither the White House nor the State Department responded to a request for comment on the matter. 'We do have kids die every week waiting because there's not a lot of international slots for these kids,' Robinson said. Some of the children in the program travel directly from their home country to the U.S., undergo surgery, and then return to Haiti. But for many Haitians, international travel requires multiple levels of logistical wrangling, Robinson said. Some patients and their parents who can secure surgeries in other countries must apply for a visa to the U.S., travel here, and then head to their eventual destination. The United States' travel ban now throws a wrench in that process. Fabienne Rene, 16, was diagnosed with rheumatic heart disease in February. Because of her condition, Fabienne, who lives in Port-au-Prince, cannot even attend school since she experiences shortness of breath, said her father, Fignole Rene. The 'bad news' he received about the travel ban causing the postponement or potential cancellation of his daughter's travel through the U.S. to the Dominican Republic is 'really disturbing and breaking my heart,' he said. 'I was not waiting to hear something like that,' Rene, 53, said in Creole through a translator. 'We know for sure that there is nowhere in Haiti we can have this possibility. The only option that we have was just waiting to have an open door from the Cardiac Alliance.' He also said the news will be troubling for his family to hear and that they don't know 'where they will find another open door that can give her a chance.' Robinson said the U.S. Embassy in Haiti recently informed him that it most likely wouldn't be able to issue any visas due to the travel ban. In the past, the embassy has repeatedly issued visas for Haitian children to travel to the U.S. for care. The office of Rep. Becca Balint, D-Vt., has offered to reach out to the State Department to see if the children can receive exceptions, he added. Dr. John Clark, a pediatric cardiologist at Akron Children's Hospital in Ohio who has worked with the ICA, said many children in impoverished countries like Haiti suffer from Fabienne's condition because they are not seen by a doctor and treated for the common illness strep throat. Untreated, recurring strep infections can lead to rheumatic heart disease. St. Damien Pediatric Hospital in Port-au-Prince received visiting pediatric surgical teams from 2015 to 2019, Robinson said. Now, dangerous conditions in Haiti prevent doctors from other countries from entering or providing care. Meanwhile, Haiti does not have enough doctors practicing there, and the loss of opportunities for a medical education in Haiti only perpetuates the problem, Clark said. Clark participated in a surgical mission there in 2019, when visiting U.S. doctors were performing two heart surgeries per day, he said. A drastic rise in gang violence — including an attack on one of the hospital's ambulances and a worker being stoned to death — ended most medical missions to Haiti. Gang violence has only escalated since then, United Nations figures show, particularly after the assassination of Haiti's President Jovenel Moïse in 2021. Haiti is one of the poorest countries in the world, and more than half of Haitians live below the poverty line. The country is also plagued with government corruption, gang violence and food insecurity, as well as vulnerability to natural disasters, including a devastating 2010 earthquake that killed at least 220,000 people. Lack of adequate health care also fuels diseases like cholera, according to the Council on Foreign Relations. 'I hope things can calm down one day enough that we can get back there [to Haiti],' Clark said. 'But right now, there's no way for us to go back down.' Andrice Boncoeur of Port-au-Prince received free open-heart surgery at CEDIMAT Cardiovascular Center in the Dominican Republic to repair a valve when he was 9 years old. That procedure, however, was only meant to be a temporary solution. Now, plans for Andrice, 16, to travel through the U.S. for more permanent surgery have been disrupted. On Thursday, Andrice's father, Andre Boncoeur, said he had not yet told his son about the travel ban preventing him from passing through the U.S. Boncoeur said he knows 'something can change at any time.' Still, children like Andrice do not have much time to wait. In April, Andrice was once again hospitalized for three days at Haiti's Centre Hospitalier Eben-Ezer for heart failure. Boncoeur said his family has spent 'everything that we had' and that their funds are 'almost gone.' He said he hopes the situation will change so that his son, who aspires to become a pastor, 'can have a chance to live his life as a normal kid.' Clark, Robinson and the patient's parents all agree it comes down to the Trump administration's willingness to accommodate the sick children. 'These children are somebody's child and somebody's grandchild and they don't have access to lifesaving care,' Clark said. 'Is there any room for compassion?' This article was originally published on

Haiti Reels as Trump Severs a Lifeline
Haiti Reels as Trump Severs a Lifeline

New York Times

time2 days ago

  • New York Times

Haiti Reels as Trump Severs a Lifeline

Born in northeast Haiti with a heart defect, Brad Mertens Joseph is 6, has difficulty walking and is still in diapers. His parents, accustomed to a dangerous 11-hour overnight bus ride to see cardiologists in the country's violent capital, had finally found a solution to their son's medical ailment, caused by a hole in his heart. It involved open-heart surgery in Akron, Ohio, arranged by a nonprofit. Those plans collapsed this week when President Trump issued an order banning people from a dozen countries, including Haiti, who don't already have valid travel visas, from entering the United States 'When I heard that, I was really upset, and I wondered, 'What are we going to do?'' the boy's father, Dieudonné Joseph, said. 'I was panicking, and I'm still panicking.' The Josephs are among the many Haitians who are caught in the middle of Mr. Trump's sweeping travel ban. From young professionals to medical residents to longtime visitors whose visas had lapsed, Haitians are bracing for the consequences of having a lifeline abruptly cut. With its proximity to Florida, a long (often difficult) history with the United States, and grave political and social upheaval, Haiti has strong family and economic ties with its northern neighbor. People have businesses in both countries, and most middle-class Haitians have close relatives in South Florida or New York. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.

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