The president of Haiti’s transitional presidential council, Leslie Voltaire, has sounded the alarm over the potentially devastating effects of the President Donald Trump administration’s recent immigration and aid policies.
Speaking to The Associated Press in Rome on Saturday after meeting Pope Francis at the Vatican, Voltaire warned that the freezing of aid programs, mass deportations, and blocking of refugees would worsen Haiti’s already dire situation.
“I’m knocking on the doors of people who love Haiti. The pope loves Haiti, and he is eager to help,” Voltaire said, emphasizing the gravity of the crisis in his meeting with the pontiff.
Haiti is grappling with severe challenges as gang violence spirals out of control. Armed groups operate with impunity, killing civilians and displacing over a million people, according to Maria Isabel Salvador, the U.N. special envoy for Haiti. Many of the displaced are living in unsanitary makeshift shelters after their homes were destroyed. The humanitarian crisis has reached “alarming levels,” with nearly 2 million Haitians facing emergency food insecurity and 6,000 on the brink of starvation.
Voltaire explained that half of Haiti’s population of 11.4 million is already hungry, and losing humanitarian aid will exacerbate the suffering. “The situation will be catastrophic,” he warned, referencing the Trump administration’s stance.
Deportations and border crackdowns in the US
Voltaire expressed deep concern over the United States’ immigration policies, which include deportations of migrants and the potential expulsion of 1.5 million Haitians currently living in the U.S., including 150,000 under the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program. “Haiti, which is already struggling with hunger and internally displaced people, cannot handle the influx,” he stated.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Coast Guard has intensified patrols in the Caribbean, aiming to deter maritime migration from Haiti and Cuba. Acting Commandant Adm. Kevin Lunday confirmed a surge in Coast Guard assets across the Florida Straits and other key regions following executive orders issued on January 21.
Additionally, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has ramped up operations targeting undocumented immigrants with criminal records. Recent actions include the arrest of a 25-year-old Haitian national in Boston as part of a broader crackdown.
The international community has been urged to respond to Haiti’s escalating crisis. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned that gangs could overrun the capital, Port-au-Prince, leading to a complete collapse of government authority without immediate international intervention.
Voltaire’s plea to Pope Francis underscores the urgency of the situation. “Trump said that Haiti is a ‘shithole,’ so I don’t think he will care about Haiti,” he remarked, lamenting the lack of empathy from the U.S. administration as thousands are repatriated from the Dominican Republic weekly and violence continues unchecked.
As Haiti battles hunger, violence, and displacement, the need for sustained global support has never been greater. The island nation faces an uncertain future, with its most vulnerable citizens bearing the brunt of the worsening humanitarian crisis.
