Latest news with #FamilyActionNetworkMovement
Hindustan Times
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Haitians lament US travel ban amid gang violence
US President Donald Trump's inclusion of Haiti in his administration's list of countries that are banned from travel visas has hit the Caribbean nation struggling with gang violence hard, both there and among its expats. "Haiti will be further isolated. The United States was the first destination for Haitians," said Pierre Esperance, a human rights activist in Haiti's capital Port-au-Prince. Trump on Wednesday announced citizens of 12 countries including Haiti, Libya and Afghanistan will not be allowed to travel to the United States beginning June 9. The nationals of seven other countries, including Venezuela and Cuba, will have face severe restrictions when seeking options to travel stateside. The travel ban, similar to one implanted during Trump's first term, is part of the Republican leader's tough immigration agenda, pouring cold water on migrants who hoped to seek refuge in the United States from crises in their home countries. The news could not come at a worse time for Haiti, which has been in the midst of an ongoing humanitarian crisis spurred by powerful street gangs that have terrorized the population with kidnappings, murders and other crimes for months on end. Pierre Christian Namphy, political director of the NGO Family Action Network Movement, said the ban is "appalling, it's cruel, it's racist, it's xenophobia, and it's singling out individuals by their nationality." Namphy, who is of Haitian origin himself, believes the measure is " an effort to court a racist anti-immigrant base" from Trump's campaign, similar to when the US president spread the baseless claim last year that Haitians were eating cats and dogs in the community of Springfield, Ohio. "The communities of Haiti here are law-abiding communities. We are fleeing the violence of the gangs inside Haiti, we are fleeing the problem. We are not the problem," He added. In the Miami neighborhood of Little Haiti, Klifft Ojour pointed out the importance of the Haitian immigrant community in the United States particularly in Florida, where an estimated 500,000 residents originate from the Caribbean nation. "This is very unfortunate because Haitians immensely contribute to different vital sectors that makes the society function, and especially here in South Florida, such as hospitality or healthcare," Ojour told AFP. Ojour, a 32-year-old businessman who was born in Port-au-Prince, said that while he does not see the benefit of imposing a travel ban, he said it is a wake-up call for Haiti to improve the devastating humanitarian crisis. "It's time that the Haitians start holding public servants accountable for the degrading state of public administration. Because the problem is first and foremost within our country," Ojour said. For the time being, the Haiti Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded to Trump's travel ban by saying "the government is striving, with the help of its international partners, to combat insecurity and strengthen border security. "The MAEC calls attention to the danger posed by armed groups, recently designated as terrorist groups, to Haiti's external relations." str-gma/jgc/sla
CBS News
12 hours ago
- Business
- CBS News
Haiti's full U.S. travel ban, drawing criticism and concern from South Florida Haitian Americans
Haiti is the only country in the Western Hemisphere included in the U.S. government's list of nations subject to a full travel ban, a move drawing concern and criticism from South Florida Haitian Americans and advocacy groups. The new travel restrictions are set to take effect on Monday. While the ban applies to Haitian nationals, some Haitian Americans are speaking out about its broader implications. "It actually amplifies the need" Rebekah Antoine, who was born in Miami but has deep ties to Haiti, told CBS News Miami her plans to move to the country later this month are unchanged. "It doesn't discourage me. It actually amplifies more of the need of my why, why I am going back to Haiti," Antoine said. Although she is not directly affected by the restrictions, Antoine acknowledged the difference in experience for Haitian nationals. "I acknowledge my privilege, you know, I am able to travel freely and, and go back and forth to my country with no stress," she said. She believes the ban could prevent others from contributing positively to the country. "We know the rhetoric and we see the countries that are listed on the ban and the common denominator of where these countries are located, it should not be a blanket ban." "Your people are not welcome" Paul Christian Namphy, political director of the Family Action Network Movement, said the travel ban is being met with "shock and outrage" among the community. "The majority of the countries are Black. You have 7 of the 12 countries which are in Africa and Haiti," Namphy said. He urged Haitian passport holders to seek legal guidance before traveling. "We are asking decision makers in the United States to resist these kinds of racist rules taking away our dignity," he said. "What this travel ban is saying is your people are not welcome."
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
‘Lives torn apart': Miami activists decry Supreme Court ruling on migrant protections
Reacting to the Trump administration's aggressive push to deport hundreds of thousands of migrants, a coalition of Miami-based activist organizations declared Monday that the campaign to expel their 'neighbors, coworkers, and even lovers' demands a response free of diplomatic restraint. 'I've realized that while we try to be politically correct, lives are being torn apart,' said Tessa Petit, executive director of the Florida Immigrant Coalition. 'We've become a quota. Because they can't meet their deportation targets, they're fabricating charges — illegally— just to satisfy an inhumane drive rooted in racism, xenophobia and white supremacy.' Petit spoke during a press conference at the headquarters of the Family Action Network Movement, where activists condemned Friday's Supreme Court decision to dismantle the so-called CHNV humanitarian parole program, for the initials of the nationalities affected. The program had allowed hundreds of thousands of people from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela to legally enter the United States for two years. The ruling threatens the legal status of more than half a million migrants — many of them now settled in South Florida. Petit and others stressed that protecting migrants serves the national interest, calling on the U.S.-born children of earlier immigrant generations to stand in solidarity. 'To the American people, I say this: It's us now, but your turn will come,' Petit warned. 'If you don't look, speak, or act a certain way, your turn will come. You are allowing precedents that will change your world forever.' Linda Julien, the first Haitian-American elected to the Miami Gardens City Council, denounced what she called the hypocrisy at the heart of U.S. immigration policy. 'We are a nation that sings liberty but whispers restrictions. A nation that demands labor but blocks legal pathways,' she said. 'Enough with the contradictions. Let this moment reflect not just compassion, but consistency.' Haitians are the largest group affected by the CHNV program, with approximately 211,010 beneficiaries by the end of 2024. Initially excluded, Haitians were later included by the Biden administration in response to the country's collapse into violent instability. The goal was twofold: provide humanitarian relief and avert a mass migration crisis in South Florida. Speaking on behalf of the 117,330 Venezuelans also facing deportation in the CHNV ruling, Adelys Ferro, executive director of the Venezuelan American Caucus, stressed that this is not an abstract policy dispute. 'This is about families. About dignity. About human beings who followed the rules and are now being punished for it,' she said. Ferro pointed out that more than 530,000 CHNV recipients complied with a rigorous vetting process — undergoing background checks and securing U.S.-based sponsors who committed to financially supporting them. For many Venezuelans fleeing the Nicolás Maduro regime—marked by violence, persecution and economic collapse—CHNV was a critical lifeline. 'It was the bridge that reunited parents with children, siblings torn apart by years of trauma, and survivors of authoritarian regimes who finally had a chance to rebuild in safety,' Ferro said. The Supreme Court's ruling, she warned, jeopardizes even those who did everything right. 'This isn't about illegal entries or breaking the law,' she said. 'It targets people who entered legally, passed background checks and were federally approved.' For Ana Sofia Pelaez, the fight for Cuban freedom is deeply personal — woven through generations. It's her grandparents arriving in Miami in the 1960s, her parents' sacrifices, her community's struggle. Today, it's also about over a hundred thousand Cubans facing potential detention and deportation following a ruling that sent shockwaves through immigrant communities nationwide. 'To force Cubans who have applied and received parole to return now would be a moral failure,' said Pelaez, co-founder and executive director of the Miami Freedom Project. 'The island is under a repressive dictatorship, where dissent is punished with imprisonment, torture and exile.' The ruling is viewed by many in the Cuban-American community as a profound betrayal. Cuba remains gripped by crisis after the historic July 11, 2021, protests—the largest anti-government demonstrations in decades—were met with brutal crackdowns, mass arrests and long prison terms. Cuba continues to suffer widespread shortages of food and medicine, a collapsing economy and unrelenting state surveillance. 'The government silences opposition through harassment and brutality,' Pelaez said. 'And economic desperation pushes people to the brink. This is not a place to which anyone should be forcibly returned.'
Miami Herald
3 days ago
- Politics
- Miami Herald
‘Lives torn apart': Miami activists decry Supreme Court ruling on migrant protections
Reacting to the Trump administration's aggressive push to deport hundreds of thousands of migrants, a coalition of Miami-based activist organizations declared Monday that the campaign to expel their 'neighbors, coworkers, and even lovers' demands a response free of diplomatic restraint. 'I've realized that while we try to be politically correct, lives are being torn apart,' said Tessa Petit, executive director of the Florida Immigrant Coalition. 'We've become a quota. Because they can't meet their deportation targets, they're fabricating charges — illegally— just to satisfy an inhumane drive rooted in racism, xenophobia and white supremacy.' Petit spoke during a press conference at the headquarters of the Family Action Network Movement, where activists condemned Friday's Supreme Court decision to dismantle the so-called CHNV humanitarian parole program, for the initials of the nationalities affected. The program had allowed hundreds of thousands of people from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela to legally enter the United States for two years. The ruling threatens the legal status of more than half a million migrants — many of them now settled in South Florida. Petit and others stressed that protecting migrants serves the national interest, calling on the U.S.-born children of earlier immigrant generations to stand in solidarity. 'To the American people, I say this: It's us now, but your turn will come,' Petit warned. 'If you don't look, speak, or act a certain way, your turn will come. You are allowing precedents that will change your world forever.' Linda Julien, the first Haitian-American elected to the Miami Gardens City Council, denounced what she called the hypocrisy at the heart of U.S. immigration policy. 'We are a nation that sings liberty but whispers restrictions. A nation that demands labor but blocks legal pathways,' she said. 'Enough with the contradictions. Let this moment reflect not just compassion, but consistency.' Haitians are the largest group affected by the CHNV program, with approximately 211,010 beneficiaries by the end of 2024. Initially excluded, Haitians were later included by the Biden administration in response to the country's collapse into violent instability. The goal was twofold: provide humanitarian relief and avert a mass migration crisis in South Florida. Speaking on behalf of the 117,330 Venezuelans also facing deportation in the CHNV ruling, Adelys Ferro, executive director of the Venezuelan American Caucus, stressed that this is not an abstract policy dispute. 'This is about families. About dignity. About human beings who followed the rules and are now being punished for it,' she said. Ferro pointed out that more than 530,000 CHNV recipients complied with a rigorous vetting process — undergoing background checks and securing U.S.-based sponsors who committed to financially supporting them. For many Venezuelans fleeing the Nicolás Maduro regime—marked by violence, persecution and economic collapse—CHNV was a critical lifeline. 'It was the bridge that reunited parents with children, siblings torn apart by years of trauma, and survivors of authoritarian regimes who finally had a chance to rebuild in safety,' Ferro said. The Supreme Court's ruling, she warned, jeopardizes even those who did everything right. 'This isn't about illegal entries or breaking the law,' she said. 'It targets people who entered legally, passed background checks and were federally approved.' For Ana Sofia Pelaez, the fight for Cuban freedom is deeply personal — woven through generations. It's her grandparents arriving in Miami in the 1960s, her parents' sacrifices, her community's struggle. Today, it's also about over a hundred thousand Cubans facing potential detention and deportation following a ruling that sent shockwaves through immigrant communities nationwide. 'To force Cubans who have applied and received parole to return now would be a moral failure,' said Pelaez, co-founder and executive director of the Miami Freedom Project. 'The island is under a repressive dictatorship, where dissent is punished with imprisonment, torture and exile.' The ruling is viewed by many in the Cuban-American community as a profound betrayal. Cuba remains gripped by crisis after the historic July 11, 2021, protests—the largest anti-government demonstrations in decades—were met with brutal crackdowns, mass arrests and long prison terms. Cuba continues to suffer widespread shortages of food and medicine, a collapsing economy and unrelenting state surveillance. 'The government silences opposition through harassment and brutality,' Pelaez said. 'And economic desperation pushes people to the brink. This is not a place to which anyone should be forcibly returned.'
