7 days ago
Marco Rubio is one of us. He understands what happens to Haitians who go back
Ironic twist
The silver lining of Haiti's devastating 2010 earthquake was the finest hour of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and indeed, all of Miami. UM faculty were in Haiti from day one, performing thousands of life-saving operations and treating thousands of desperately ill patients. We organized volunteers and raised medical equipment and supplies from around the nation. Private aircraft, lent by some of Miami's wealthiest families, flew round the clock, bringing in volunteers and supplies, while evacuating the injured. Private companies donated millions in dollars and in-kind services to aid recovery.
No example of Miami's response captured our collective heroism more than the rescue of Baby Jenny — an infant buried for five days in the rubble, wrapped in the arms of her dead babysitter. She suffered a skull fracture, flail chest, dehydration and shock. She would have died were it not for the skill of our doctors and nurses, the good fortune of a private plane on the runway and an available bed in the NICU of Jackson Memorial Hospital. Later, a team of Haitian-American and Cuban-American attorneys used DNA tests to reunite her with her parents.
We celebrated this miracle during the fifth and 10th anniversaries of the earthquake, with follow-up news stories. Jenny survived to become a happy, healthy and in every sense normal child. To mark the 15th anniversary, we attempted another follow-up story a few months ago. However, her family refused, due to fear of deportation. They, like hundreds of thousands of our neighbors (not just Haitians) are here under Temporary Protected Status. That status is about to be canceled.
I cannot speak about conditions in Cuba, Venezuela or Nicaragua, but I can speak on conditions in Haiti with authority. Haiti is now a failed state. Gangs have destroyed hospitals, churches, universities and whole communities. Kidnappings and senseless killings occur daily. People are starving and malnutrition is rampant. To return decent people — whose lives we saved and were embraced by our community — to such nightmarish conditions is cruel and shameful.
No one understands this situation better, perhaps, than the people of Miami, our nation's most vibrant melting pot. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is one of us. He should know better. Let him hear your voices.
Arthur Fournier,
co-founder,
Project Medishare for Haiti,
professor emeritus,
Family Medicine and Community Health,
University of Miami Miller School of Medicine,
Miami
Lasting legacy
Few have given more to the state of Florida than John Thrasher. He was a statesman, soldier and a friend. Throughout his career, he served Florida with dedication. From serving on the Clay County School Board, to his tenure as speaker of the Florida House and later as president of Florida State University, Thrasher's leadership left a lasting legacy.
May the Thrasher family find comfort in the legacy of service and integrity that he leaves behind.
Paul Bacon,
Hallandale Beach
Broken streets
Infrastructure, safety and potholes make Miami among the worst cities for drivers. Some streets in the Brickell Avenue and Coconut Grove areas are critical, with road surfaces heavily damaged and posing significant safety hazards. Unfortunately, this situation has existed for years.
As a resident, I find it difficult to understand how Miami's city government leaders — specifically, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, Chairwoman Christine King and Commissioners Damian Pardo and Miguel Gabela — manage our budget. With so many condos in Brickell and downtown providing millions and millions of dollars in taxes, it is difficult to understand why our infrastructure is in such poor condition.
Perhaps too much money is being spent on unnecessary city employees?
These leaders need to solve this issue as soon as possible.
Carlos Ortiz,
Miami
National misconduct
Reading the June 2 Miami Herald, I felt sad at the situation in our country. President Donald Trump commuted the sentence of a man who, along with a partner, fleeced the government of well over $85 million after filing 866,000 false claims to Medicare. Apparently, it is mere peanuts to him.
Meanwhile, Trump does not think twice about cutting funding for Medicaid, flood prevention, childcare, food banks and other agencies.
In the same Herald edition, there was more evidence of wanton corruption regarding The Hope Florida Foundation,created to support a program spearheaded by Gov. Ron DeSantis' wife, Casey.
Are we on our way to becoming a kleptocracy? Can we really afford another three years of this malfeasance?
Ana M. Bacallao,
South Miami
Catalans in Miami
On May 14, the Catalan American Council (CAC) held its first event in South Florida at the Key Biscayne Yacht Club, marking a milestone for our community. The CAC, a nonprofit based in Washington, D.C., was founded to represent and support the Catalan-American community across the United States.
The event raised funds for the CAC's Diaspora Project, the first national effort to document the modern Catalan-American experience. South Florida is home to a significant part of this community, with many tracing their roots to Catalan-speaking regions of Europe — often via Cuba or Puerto Rico.
The event also honored the 2025 recipients of the Transatlantic Bridge Award, which recognizes efforts to strengthen ties between Europe, the U.S. and the Catalan-American diaspora. The awardees were Carlos Curbelo, co-founder of Vocero LLC and former U.S. Congressman and Enrique Roig, director of policy and strategic initiatives at the Seattle International Foundation and a former senior official at the State Department.
Andrew Davis,
Washington, D.C.
What agenda?
President Donald Trump and his cronies are laser-focused on eliminating waste, fraud and abuse in government.
So why did Trump pardon Lawrence Duran who, according to the June 2 Miami Herald article, 'Trump commutes sentence of Miami exec in Medicare fraud case,' filed 866,000 false claims with Medicare and received more than $87 million from the scheme?
Furthermore, Trump also pardoned Todd and Julie Chrisley, who defrauded banks and the IRS out of millions of dollars.
Barry Alan Wilen,
Hollywood
Unseemly actions
Some members of the Biden family allegedly traded on the former president's name or position, whether in China or Ukraine.
Comparatively, President Trump's son, Eric, is now doing about the same with a luxury residential development and golf course in Vietnam.
If I were in politics, I might allow the same for my family. Still, this is the unseemly aspect of our world of politics.
Roger Shatanof,
Coral Gables
Leadership styles
One can see the great contrast in styles and leadership qualities between the leaders of Ukraine and the United States.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, with brilliant planning and innovation, recently pulled off a devastating blow to Russia's military air fleet.
At practically the same time, President Trump, in all his brilliance, re-posted a conspiracy theory that former President Joe Biden was actually executed and a clone had replaced him in 2020.
Florida Panthers General Manager Bill Zito has engineered some remarkable trades. Perhaps he can do the American public a huge favor and trade our president for Zelenskyy. With a courageous leader like Zelenskyy leading our nation, we would have a very bright future.
With Donald 'TACO' Trump as our president, the future is very dim indeed.
Martin Kleinbart,
Aventura
Terminal forecast
I always look forward to coming home to Miami, with one exception: the airport. Upon my recent arrival, it was raining and American Airlines would not unload luggage. I went outside and the sky was clear. After three hours, I asked if they could deliver my luggage. You know the answer.
This should be a world class airport. Instead, trains rarely work, escalators and elevators are in constant disrepair and MIA is ill prepared for any weather other than clear skies.
Michael Friend,
Kendall
