Détails

Catégorie : What's up Little Haiti

Création : 16 septembre 2025

US plans to push for Haiti’s ‘Gang Suppression Force’ at UN meeting

After pressuring leaders of the Organization of American States, Washington continues to push for a new 5,500-member ‘Gang Suppression Force’ to replace the Kenya-led MSS, while pledging to crack down on arms trafficking fueling violence in Haiti

by Juhakenson Blaise Sep. 08, 2025

THE HAITIAN TIMES

The United States has been seeking support from the Organization of American States (OAS) and the United Nations for a new anti-gang force in Haiti, as violence has resulted in 3,100 deaths and the displacement of 1.3 million people in just six months this year. After meeting with officials from both international organizations, U.S. diplomats plan to ramp up efforts at the UN General Assembly, which opens on Tuesday, Sept. 9.

PORT-AU-PRINCE — As the UN General Assembly prepares to convene its 80th session in New York this month, the United States is ramping up efforts to secure backing for a proposed international force— the Gang Suppression Force (GSF) — to confront Haiti’s spiraling gang violence. 

After meeting with the Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), Albert Ramdin, and the UN Security Council last week, Washington now shifts its focus to the UN Assembly opening on Tuesday, Sept. 9, to gain support for the plan. A draft resolution circulating among member states suggests establishing a 5,500-member force to replace the struggling Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS) led by Kenya.

“A secure Haiti means a safer Hemisphere—our collective stability and prosperity depend on it,” the U.S. mission said in a statement on X, following a Sept. 5 meeting with Ramdin. “The OAS is a vital collaborator and coordinator, and we are answering the call from countries in our Hemisphere with these efforts.”

During the meeting, Acting U.S. Permanent Representative to the OAS Lee Lipton discussed the initiative, including a proposed UN support office in Port-au-Prince to manage logistics, drone surveillance, fuel and rations.

The MSS, deployed since June 2024, was authorized by the UN Security Council in October 2023 to bolster the Haitian National Police (PNH). But it has faced chronic underfunding, personnel shortages and mounting criticism from Haitians who say it has failed to curb gang dominance.

According to the draft resolution submitted by the U.S. and Panama on Aug. 28, the proposed GSF would be managed by a UN support office to avoid the same funding pitfalls. Meanwhile, as the MSS’ future remains uncertain, it is unclear whether Kenya and other troop-contributing nations would remain part of the new force.

U.S. Acting Ambassador to the UN Dorothy Shea urged member states to join the effort. “To sit at the negotiating table and join the United States, Panama, and other countries that have demonstrated their commitment to Haiti’s security … is a meaningful sharing of responsibilities to help stabilize the country,” she said.

Arms trafficking crackdown as Haiti’s crisis deepens

Even as it lobbies for the GSF, Washington is turning its attention to the weapons pipeline feeding Haiti’s gangs. On Sept. 4, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking alongside Mexican Foreign Minister Juan Ramón de la Fuente, announced measures to stop arms trafficking to Haiti, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and other Caribbean nations. The plan will mobilize the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms (ATF) to disrupt smuggling networks.

The crackdown follows UN reports that gangs in Haiti are increasingly equipped with high-caliber rifles, sniper systems, and machine guns, many smuggled from the United States. UN human rights expert William O’Neill warned in April that these weapons, often capable of piercing armored vehicles, give gangs a decisive advantage over Haitian police.

U.S. courts have recently sentenced several traffickers, including Jean Wiltene Eugene, who shipped firearms hidden in vehicles, and Michael Adrian Nieto, a former police officer convicted of reselling dozens of weapons to Haitian and Dominican buyers. Haitian American Bazile Richardson from North Carolina was also charged for allegedly financing Jimmy “Barbecue” Chérizier’s gang, 

The violence continues to exact a staggering toll. Between January and June 2025, more than 3,100 people were killed and 1.3 million displaced, according to the UN Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH). Gangs now control swathes of Port-au-Prince at about 90% and at least 28 municipalities nationwide, where they have committed massacres, mass sexual violence and widespread extortion.

“The gangs use firearms not only to fight the police but to dominate entire communities and commit human rights violations,” O’Neill said.

Meanwhile, as the U.S. works to gather support for the GSF, no date has been set for the UN Security Council to discuss the resolution. Officials are stepping up diplomatic efforts as the UN General Assembly session begins. However, it remains uncertain whether China and Russia will vote in favor of that resolution. Past attempts by the U.S. and its Latin American allies to turn the MSS into a full UN mission have failed because of opposition from these two key countries at the Security Council. 

Haiti’s future with the MSS or a successor force remains unresolved, even as the country’s security, humanitarian and political crises continue to deepen.

Fritz Alphonse Jean, former president of Haiti’s Transitional Presidential Council (CPT), accused segments of the private sector of continuing to fuel the insecurity crisis in an Aug. 5 interview.

 “They have used young people as cannon fodder to protect their interests,” Jean said. “These youths have become gangs serving personal agendas.”

More by Juhakenson Blaise

I am Juhakenson Blaise, a journalist based in the city of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. I cover the news that develops in this city and deals with other subjects related to the experience of Haitians for the Haitian Times newspaper. I am also a lover of poetry.

Haitian and Belgian journalists win Franceinfo’s 2025 Golden Visa for Haiti reporting

From Port-au-Prince to Perpignan, journalists were honored for their Haiti photo documentary, “In Haiti, at the Heart of Hell”

by Aljany Narcius Sep. 11, 2025

THE HAITIAN TIMES

Overview:

Haitian journalists Milo Milfort and Johnson Sabin, alongside Belgian colleague Gaël Turine, won the 2025 Franceinfo Golden Visa Award at the image festival in Perpignan, France, for their immersive digital reporting project “In Haiti, at the Heart of Hell.” The work highlights daily life and resilience in gang-controlled Port-au-Prince, highlighting the essential role of Haitian journalism despite deadly risks.

PORT-AU-PRINCE — Haitian journalists Milo Milfort and Johnson Sabin, alongside Belgian colleague Gaël Turine, have received the 2025 FranceinfoGolden Visa for Digital Journalism. Their interactive report, “In Haiti, at the Heart of Hell,” was published last year by La Libre Belgique newspaper.

The award was announced Sept. 4 during the “Visa pour l’Image” festival in Perpignan, France, a prestigious stage that has long showcased conflict and humanitarian reporting from across the globe.

The reporting project combines photographs, testimony and multimedia storytelling to capture life inside gang-controlled neighborhoods of Port-au-Prince, where residents endure daily violence but also display resilience and dignity.

“This award represents recognition for useful, high-quality work carried out under difficult conditions,” Milfort said in an interview with The Haitian Times after winning the award. “Gangs entirely control some of the areas we visited and cannot be entered without their authorization.”

Cover page of the digital documentary “In Haiti, at the Heart of Hell” on La Libre Belgique’s site. Photo courtesy of Gaël Turine 

Journalism under fire in Haiti

In Haiti, documenting these stories is often a matter of survival. At least 21 journalists were killed between 2000 and 2022, according to an Associated Press (AP) report, including nine in 2022 alone—the deadliest year in modern Haitian media history. In a country where silence often becomes a form of survival, journalists who persist in reporting risk threats, extortion or worse.

“This award has special meaning because it was earned collectively, with Haitian journalists,” said Turine, who has worked in Haiti since 2005. “It proves that despite the conditions, meaningful, high-level work can emerge.”

Sabin also noted how personally affected he was by stories of displaced families. “Their strength and dignity, despite fear and loss, left a profound mark on me,” he said.

“This award represents recognition for useful, high-quality work carried out under difficult conditions.”

Milo Milfort, Co-winner of Franceinfo’s 2025 Golden Visanormal

Profiles of the awardees

Milfort, based in Port-au-Prince, has spent more than a decade reporting on Haiti’s most pressing issues — from gang violence and kidnappings to governance failures and economic struggles. A former reporter for AyiboPost and founder of the investigative outlet Enquet’Action, Milfort is recognized for combining investigative rigor with compelling photography.

He has been a contributor for international outlets such as the Spanish news agency EFE and Dominican Noticias SIN. He is known among peers for his persistence in covering stories in some of Haiti’s most dangerous neighborhoods. His work has earned several regional awards, underscoring his role as one of the country’s leading investigative journalists.

“This award has special meaning because it was earned collectively, with Haitian journalists. It proves that despite the conditions, meaningful, high-level work can emerge.”

Gaël Turine, Co-winner of Franceinfo’s 2025 Golden Visanormal

Sabin, for his part, brings a unique visual eye to Haiti’s contemporary challenges. A photographic journalist who has worked between Haiti and France, Sabin documents political realities and social transformations with sensitivity and depth. 

The Haitian journalist’s work has been exhibited both locally and internationally, and he is currently preparing his second book while developing new projects on migration and resilience. His photography — often focused on portraits and community life — offers not only documentation of Haiti’s crises but also insight into its cultural vibrancy and people’s determination to sustain hope.

As for Belgian documentary photographer-journalist Gaël Turine, his experience in Haiti has spanned nearly two decades. This time, he collaborated with the two Haitian professionals, adding a global dimension to the team’s work. 

“Their [Haitians] strength and dignity, despite fear and loss, left a profound mark on me.”

Johnson Sabin, Co-winner of Franceinfo’s 2025 Golden Visanormal

Haiti registers a whopping 6M voters amid mass displacements, officials say

Haiti’s ID office says 6.3 million voters are registered, but elections and a contested referendum remain stalled by gang violence

by Juhakenson Blaise Sep. 12, 2025

THE HAITIAN TIMES

Overview:

The National Identification Office (ONI) reported Wednesday that 6.3 million Haitians of voting age now have ID cards, meaning about 85% of potentially eligible voters have been registered and are ready to vote in the upcoming elections. However, those elections remain delayed, even though the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) appears to be moving forward with preparations. No date has been set for either the elections or the controversial constitutional referendum. Security remains the main challenge, with over 1.3 million people displaced and gangs controlling key areas.

PORT-AU-PRINCE — Haiti’s National Identification Office (ONI) announced Wednesday that nearly 6.3 million Haitians of voting age now hold national identification cards — a prerequisite to cast ballots. But the announcement underscores the deep contradiction of Haitian politics today: a growing list of registered voters with no secure path to elections.

The figure, representing roughly 85% of the estimated 7.4 million Haitians of voting age out of about 11.9 million total population, was shared with Transitional Presidential Council (CPT) member Louis Gérald Gilles during his visit to the ONI headquarters. Gilles called the progress “a major step” for elections that have yet to be scheduled.

“On behalf of the Transitional Presidential Council, I reaffirmed my support for the electoral process, which is essential to restoring democratic order and stability in the country,” Gilles said on  X following the meeting.

“I advised the institution to keep clear goals, both short-term and long-term, to enhance the credibility of the national identification system.”

While ONI reports record numbers locally, it has yet to release any data on voter registration in the diaspora. Government officials have only stated that offices have also been established abroad.

Authorities praised ONI’s efforts, but the voter roll exists against a backdrop of turmoil. More than 1.3 million Haitians have been displaced by gang violence, according to the United Nations, leaving many voters without homes, secure polling stations or clear access to the ballot box.

In the capital, gangs control about 90% of the territory, including neighborhoods that host electoral offices and voting centers. Several provincial towns face similar challenges. With major roads blocked, displaced people living in shelters or makeshift camps say voting is not even a consideration when they struggle daily for food, water and safety.

Voters registered, elections without security?

While ONI pushes forward with mobile caravans and more than 150 local offices to issue IDs, the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) has been advancing technical preparations — including staff recruitment and agreements for a dedicated electoral television channel. Still, no election or supposed constitutional referendum date has been announced.

According to authorities, one of the strategies is the deployment of ONI mobile caravans across the country’s departments. Since February 2025, the ONI mobile caravan has been operating in the North. In August, the caravan reached the Grand’Anse department.

Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé told the United Nations Security Council this week that restoring security remains the first condition. He backed a United States-proposed resolution to transform the Kenya-led Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS) into a larger Gang Suppression Force (GSF), saying only such a shift could help Haiti organize “credible, free, and transparent elections.”

But with thousands killed in gang violence this year alone, no neighborhoods reclaimed from armed groups, and displaced families filling schools and churches, many Haitians doubt that elections are feasible in the short term.

Pushing for a controversial referendum 

The CPT has also been pushing forward with a referendum process on constitutional changes — but lawyers, bar associations and civil society leaders warn the move is illegitimate and illegal. The Port-au-Prince Bar Association called it “legally irregular and illegitimate” in a recent statement. Members of the association argued that under Haiti’s 1987 Constitution [amended in 2011-2012], revisions require a Constituent Assembly, not a referendum organized by transitional leaders.

“Attempting to impose a new Constitution in this context would constitute a violation by the current political authorities of both their oath of office and the 1987 Constitution,” members of the Bar Association said in a recent statement. 

“Such an act qualifies as high treason under Article 21 and is punishable by life at hard labor without the possibility of commutation (Article 21-1).”

Critics also warn that forcing such a vote under current conditions would further erode legitimacy, while ordinary Haitians remain in limbo about when — or if — they will be called to elect new leaders.

As officials tout ONI’s progress, the UN says humanitarian needs are outpacing resources. Deputy Secretary for Humanitarian Affairs Tom Fletcher, visiting Haiti this week, announced $9 million in new aid but warned funding is at “historic lows.” The UN’s $908 million appeal has received less than 12% of the needed funds.

“In Port-au-Prince, I saw the last functioning hospital pushed to the brink, forced to cut even maternal care,” Fletcher said Sept. 9 in a post on X. “Families who lost everything are crammed into shelters– women and girls bearing the heaviest toll. The suffering is immense. Haiti needs urgent support.”

Still, the uncertain future for Haiti’s voters remains the same

For now, Haiti has millions of registered voters but no clear date for when their ballots will count. With the CPT’s mandate set to expire on Feb. 7, 2026, and insecurity worsening, the question remains whether the country’s electoral institutions can deliver democracy — or whether Haitians’ hard-won ID cards will remain symbols of an elusive right. Haiti has not held an election since 2016.

“ONI continues its mission to bring identification services closer to [Haitian] citizens,” ONI officials said in a recent statement posted on social media. 

“The goal is to make access to the national identification card easier, especially in rural areas that are often neglected.”

Détails

Catégorie : What's up Little Haiti

Création : 3 septembre 2025

Remarks at a UN Security Council Briefing on Haiti
United States Mission to the United Nations
Ambassador Dorothy Shea
Acting U.S. Representative
New York, New York

Thank you, Mr. President, and thank you Secretary-General António Guterres, Executive Director Catherine Russell, and Mr. Jean Jean Roosevelt for your briefings.
The United States remains concerned about escalating levels of violence in Haiti. The territorial expansion of the gangs threatens to undermine gains made by both the Haitian National Police and the Multinational Security Support mission.
We continue to condemn the recruitment of children in armed gangs and the disproportionate impact of gang violence on children. In 2024, Haiti was reported as one of the countries with the most violations and abuses against children, with the large majority committed by the Viv Ansanm coalition, which for the first time was listed in the Secretary-General’s report on children and armed conflict.
Due to the violence, over 1.3 million people – half of them children – have been displaced. Children face constant risks of being killed or injured during gang attacks, police operations, or acts of mob justice. Forced recruitment by gangs and recurring incidents of sexual violence rob children of the peaceful lives they deserve.
Corruption and indiscriminate violence remain major issues. We have taken concrete steps to counter impunity for those supporting violence in Haiti with the United States’ designation of Viv Ansanm and Gran Grif as Foreign Terrorist Organizations and Specially Designated Global Terrorists. We applaud this Council for the recent designation of Viv Ansanm and Gran Grif as well. This sends an important message from the international community that we hold bad actors and entities to account.
The United States recently announced a $5 million reward for information leading to the arrest of gang leader Jimmy Cherizier, also known as Barbecue. In addition, we remain committed to the removal and prosecution of criminals and enablers hiding in the United States who contribute to the violence and destruction in Haiti.
These significant steps taken by the United States demonstrate the Trump Administration’s commitment to countering these criminal gangs and foreign terrorist organizations.
Mr. President, food insecurity also remains a pressing concern. Active humanitarian and lifesaving assistance awards continuing in Haiti include U.S.-grown emergency food aid, nutrition support, logistics, shelter, clean water, and medical services for crisis-affected Haitians. This sort of programming addresses critical needs like food, shelter, medical care for violence-affected children and survivors of sexual violence, cholera treatment and prevention, hygiene, and malnutrition treatment for families and children.
In June, the Organization of American States (OAS) General Assembly and the United States co-sponsored a resolution which passed unanimously to galvanize action for Haiti and to complement efforts here at the UN. Moreover, the United States continues to work with the OAS as it proceeds with its roadmap for Haiti. This is an important step towards the regional leadership we expect on such shared regional challenges.
Mr. President, with respect to the MSS mission, the United States thanks Kenya for its dedication, leadership and support for over the past year. Kenya answered Haiti’s call at a critical moment, demonstrating an enormous compassion and courage, putting its people in harm’s way thousands of miles from home, and preventing a complete collapse of the Haitian state. Without the presence of the MSS mission, the gangs would have been even more emboldened in their ambitions and brazen atrocities against civilians in Haiti.
We would also like to thank The Bahamas, El Salvador, Belize, Guatemala, and Jamaica, for contributing personnel towards this effort, and to Canada for its sizable contribution to the UN Trust Fund and to the planning efforts. As we look to combat the threat of terrorist gangs looking to topple the State, we must ensure an even greater share of the international community is invested in the fight.
To address this, today, the United States and Panama are sharing a draft UN Security Council resolution with this Council to help address the growing violence by establishing a Gang Suppression Force and creating a UN Support Office to provide logistical support to efforts on the ground. We urge Council members: join us – join us in responding to the call from the Haitian government, as we forge a new path towards peace and security, and establish the UN Support Office to properly, and sustainably, resource this effort. This will ensure the mission has the tools at its disposal to take the fight to the gangs and ensure that the Haitian state can meet the foundational needs of its people.
President, we note the next international force must be resourced to hold territory, secure infrastructure, and complement the Haitian National Police. In parallel, a comprehensive approach is required to disrupt gang financing, arms trafficking, and other illicit flows fueling instability.
To make meaningful progress on this collective challenge, we need international stakeholders and donors to come to the table and join the United States, Panama, and others who have demonstrated their commitment to Haiti’s security, in meaningful burden sharing to help promote stability in Haiti. We stand with the Haitian people as they seek a secure, stable future for their country. We remain committed to working with the international community to drive progress forward in Haiti, and call on all Council members to take concrete action in support of this effort.
I thank you.

National Center of Haitian Apostolate
The commune of La Croix-des-Bouquets.

This week, I would like to write a text about the commune of La Croix-des-Bouquets. Despite the difficulties facing our country, Haiti, the inhabitants of this corner of the earth continue to hope against all odds and to work with great courage and pride for its recovery.
La Croix-des-Bouquets is the second largest commune in terms of area after Aquin (South Department). It covers an area of 530 km2, with a population of over 150,000. The diaspora community of La Croix-des-Bouquets is beginning to awaken. They understand the need to contribute to this land that has given birth to great women and men, by developing a close relationship with their sisters and brothers from Lakou Lakay. Lakou Lakay ap toujou rete Lakou Lakay.
Through this text, I would like to encourage all the Crucians in the diaspora who are beginning to come together, either on WhatsApp to pray as a family or to strengthen solidarity between family members, or in associations to see how they can contribute to their homeland, Croix-des-Bouquets. If the forces of evil are uniting against Haiti, why is it so difficult for us to come to an understanding and work together to block the path of the forces of darkness that want to destroy our beloved Haiti, for whom our heroes agreed to shed their blood in order to bequeath to us a country where there is room for everyone?
In the situation we find ourselves in today, we must make a tremendous effort to overcome our egos and our differences, to unite all our forces to work together to give a new face to Haiti and to our homeland, Croix-des-Bouquets. It is high time for us to emulate our beautiful motto: "Unity is strength." We must often remind ourselves that our differences are sometimes a great source of wealth.
In this text, I would like to congratulate all our predecessors, all those who worked diligently to give La Croix-des-Bouquets a community high school in 1964, called Lycée Jacques 1er, which became a national high school after 1986. These people were great visionaries who understood the importance for their children and the other young people of La Croix-des-Bouquets of having a solid education to better build their future. It is worth adding that, without the support of the Haitian government or foreign organizations, they founded this high school, which has become one of the heritage sites of the commune of La Croix-des-Bouquets. The Lycée Jacques 1er in La Croix-des-Bouquets has trained great men, women, and professionals of the highest caliber: engineers, doctors, lawyers, agronomists, pastors, priests, nurses, nuns, accountants, and teachers, to name a few. They are a great source of pride for the Crucian community. We will never cease to congratulate and thank those who founded the high school for this calculated risk. They made great sacrifices, overcame many obstacles, and took on many challenges to enable many of the Crucian youth of the time to begin their secondary education. We will never forget our poor farmers who agreed to donate 50 centimes from each cane harvest to help provide a small salary for the teaching staff of the community high school in La Croix-des-Bouquets. Sometimes these teachers could go between three and four months without receiving this pittance. How much did these teachers earn at the time? The names of these Crucian deserve to be written in gold letters in the annals of the Lycée Jacques 1er in La Croix-des-Bouquets. Their example deserves to be emulated for their great love for their native land.
I still remember the meeting the Pitit Manman Wozè Group held in early January 2025 with several members of the Crucian community (priests, nuns, and a few professionals from Haiti and the diaspora) to discuss how we could establish a nursing faculty in La Croix-des-Bouquets. In March 2025, this group successfully elected a board of directors chaired by Professor Jean Frantz Théodat, former dean of the National Institute of Management Administration and Advanced International Studies (INAGHEI) and former Director of the General Directorate of Taxation.
The good and great news is that this board of directors, together with the Gwoup Pitit Manman Wozè, is working hard to open this faculty on October 6, 2025.

Filmmakers premiere “Stay With Me” at Urban Film Festival as a love letter to Haitian courage
Childhood friends reunite for film inspired by true events
by The Haitian Times Aug. 27, 2025

Overview:
The Urban Film Festival in Miami will feature Stay with Me, a new short film by Haitian creatives Samuel Ladouceur and Yanatha Desouvre
When “Stay with Me” premieres Aug. 31 at the Urban Film Festival in Downtown Miami, it will arrive as more than just another short film. The story, inspired by true events, is what its creators call “a love letter to the courage of the Haitian community amidst violence.”
Directed by Samuel Ladouceur and written by executive producer Yanatha Desouvre, the 9-minute short centers on a tense afternoon between investigative journalist Margaret Goodman, played by Geegee Rock and her teenage son Grayson, played by Akili McDowell, known for his role in Billions, the drama series on Showtime.
Set against the backdrop of political unrest in Haiti, Goodman’s reporting on corruption has put her family at risk. Over a simple meal, mother and son grapple with fear, duty and the weight of violence that shadows their lives.
The film weaves their intimate conversation with real footage of turmoil in Haiti, underscoring both the danger Goodman faces in pursuing the truth and the toll it takes on her son. At its heart, “Stay With Me” is a portrait of resilience — a mother refusing to back down, and a child longing for safety — that speaks to the courage of families caught in cycles of grief and conflict.
The project marks a reunion for Ladouceur and Desouvre, childhood friends who reconnected this summer to collaborate on the film.
“What motivated me to write and produce this story is [that] there are people behind that violence. There are families behind that violence. Stay with Me is an ode to fearless journalism and the courage it takes to hold the powerful accountable,” said Desouvre. “Journalism for me is one of the last barriers of a world going into anarchy.”
Their next film, Fortunate Son, which would be their first feature film tells the story of Margaret’s son, Grayson, now an aspiring journalist after his best friend is gunned down amid political turmoil in Port-au-Prince. He risks everything to uncover the truth behind the murder, exposing a web of corruption and power that threatens his family, his community, and his own life.
The film pays homage to Desouvre’s late Sunday school teacher, who was shot and killed when the director was 7 ½ years old.
“Yanatha and I grew up in church together, Yanatha’s dad was the director for all of the Christmas plays, since the mid-90s,” said Ladouceur. “His father encouraged me to be behind the camera since I was very little. “It wasn’t until the filming of ‘The Sweetest Girl’ in August 2020, that I had an opportunity to express my appreciation and gratitude to Yanatha’s dad.”
Akili McDowell as Grayson Goodman and Yanatha Desouvre as Christian Sainvil (inspired by Yanatha Desouvre’s real-life Sunday School teacher, who was shot and killed when he was only 7 1/2 years old in Brooklyn, New York, in the mid-80s).
Desouvre, a best-selling author and professor of entrepreneurship at Miami Dade College, has received accolades for his screenwriting.
Ladouceur’s body of work spans shorts, television and major films, including “Person of Interest,” “Unstoppable,” “Power and Boardwalk Empire.” In 2020, he directed “The Sweetest Girl,” which earned wide acclaim in festival circles, including Best Short film at the Urban Film Festival in 202.
The screening for “Stay with Me” is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. on Aug. 31 at Silver Spot Cinema in downtown Miami. Admission is free.
Now celebrating its 10th anniversary, the Urban Film Festival has grown into one of the largest free film festivals in the country. Held across Historic Overtown and downtown Miami over Labor Day weekend, the festival blends red carpet premieres, exclusive industry panels and community-centered programming.
Alongside “Stay with Me,” the festival will feature official selection screenings, film workshops and industry discussions — all live and free to the public.

INSTITUTE FOR JUSTICE & DEMOCRACY IN HAITI

Dear Friend of IJDH,

We have amazing news: the IJDH community has generated so many calls and so many signatures during Capitol Hill’s slowest week of the year that the lawyers got an extension for the Congressional amicus brief on Haitian TPS, and the Congressional leaders extended the signature deadline to Wednesday, September 3, at noon.
Call today to keep making a difference for 350,000 Haitians facing forced return to horrific conditions!!
So far we have four Senators and 43 Representatives stepping up for truth and our Haitian neighbors. That’s exciting, but we need more to have an impact. A list of signers is below. If any of your Senators or Representative are not on the list, please call them TODAY.
Calling is really easy! Just dial Congress’ switchboard, (202) 225-3121 and provide either the name of your Congress Member or your address, and you will be patched through. Tell the person or voicemail this simple message:
“This is [your name], calling from [your town] to urge [Representative/Senator X] to consider signing the amicus brief led by Senator Markey and Representative Cherfilus-McCormick opposing the termination of TPS for Haiti. This is time-sensitive, as signatures close on Wednesday September 3 at noon to meet a court deadline. Please contact Adam Safran in Rep. Cherfilus-McCormick’s office for details.”
We know there is significant low-hanging fruit out there (as befits late August)! For example, only one Representative from Massachusetts has signed on, even though they all consistently support Haiti and immigration fairness. So I will be forwarding this action alert to friends and family across the state, and calling my Rep (for the third time). There are dozens more Members of Congress who will readily sign, if only we make sure that they know about it.
Red State calls are still important!!! A national immigration advocacy leader called yesterday and said he 100% agrees with our call to engage with Republican members. He thinks that doing so will soften opposition to continuing TPS for Haiti, while supporting promising efforts by business and faith leaders to quietly build a constituency for fair immigration policy in the Republican Caucus.
Gratefully,
Brian Concannon
PS: Click here for more information on Haitian TPS and our lawsuit
PPS: Signers so far are Senators Markey, Padilla, Van Hollen and Warren, and Representatives Sewell, Figures (both AL); L. Simon, Waters (both CA); J. Hayes (CT); Degette (CO); McBride (DE); Holmes Norton (DC); Cherfilus-McCormick, S. Wilson, Wasserman Schultz, Frost, Castor and Soto (all Florida); H. Johnson, N. Williams (both GA); J. Jackson, D. Davis, Schakowsky (all IL); Carson (IN); T Carter (LA); Mfume (MD); Pressley (MA); Tlaib (MI); W. Bell (MO); Titus, Horsford (both NV); Clarke, Velazquez, Torres, Tonko, Meng (all NY); Evans (PA); Amo, Magaziner (both RI); S. Cohen (TN); S. Garcia, Doggett (both TX); Plaskett (VI); McClellan (VA); Jayapal (WA); and G. Moore (WI).
PPS: Best to call today, to give offices time to review the amicus. But calls can still have an impact through Tuesday.

Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti (IJDH)
892 Plain Street, Suite 1 | Marshfield, Massachusetts 02050
857-201-0991 | Cette adresse e-mail est protégée contre les robots spammeurs. Vous devez activer le JavaScript pour la visualiser.

Détails

Catégorie : What's up Little Haiti

Création : 10 aout 2025

Haitian security guard killed in NYC shooting remembered as ‘hero’ by union, family

Aland Etienne, a Haitian immigrant and 32BJ SEIU member, was mourned after he was killed in the Midtown Park Avenue mass shooting.

by THE CITY Aug. 01, 2025

THE HAITIAN TIMES

Overview:

Haitian immigrant Aland Etienne, 46, was killed in a Midtown office shooting while working as a security guard. Union leaders and relatives honored him as a devoted father and “hero,” reports THE CITY. He had worked at 345 Park Ave. for six years.

Claudia Irizarry Aponte / THE CITY

The security guard who was slain in the mass shooting in a Midtown office building on Monday was remembered by his brother as a hard-working man, hero, devoted father and aspiring filmmaker who was proud to play his part “in making the city of New York a little safer every day.”

Aland Etienne, 46, is among the four victims of Monday’s deadly attack at 345 Park Avenue, a prominent office tower that houses the headquarters of the National Football League and several large investment firms including Blackstone.

“I am the younger brother of my hero,” said sibling Smith Etienne.

“Aland was a brother, son, a loving father — fantastic father,” he continued. “He was a smart dude and as the oldest brother I looked up to him in everything I do.”

The younger Etienne spoke at the headquarters of the union 32BJ SEIU, of which Aland was a member, honoring both him and slain NYPD Officer Didarul Islam, 36, on Wednesday. He was flanked by Etienne’s widow, Rachelle Paoli; union president Manny Pastreich; and Democratic mayoral candidate Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani. 

Their deaths, said Pastreich, underscore the dangers and sacrifices security personnel face on the line of duty. He invoked a similar attack in 2015 that resulted in the death of a 32BJ member, security officer Idrissa Camara, who was fatally shot by a gunman who stormed a federal building on Varick Street, then killed himself.

“Security officers in this city know that they put their life on the line when they put on their uniforms, they’re there to do their jobs as a first line of defense in each of these buildings, and they know that they’re often in harm’s way,” said Pastreich. “These essential workers are often overlooked and unseen until moments like this, that reveal the true value of their work and their contributions.”

A member of 32BJ SEIU’s security division since 2017, Etienne worked at 345 Park Ave. for more than six years under the security firm McLane Security. He was unarmed at the time of the shooting, a union spokesperson said. Representatives for McLane Security did not respond to a request for comment.

Etienne, a Haitian immigrant who lived in Brooklyn, is survived by Paoli and his two children, parents, and five siblings. He loved making home movies in Haiti and had aspirations to become a filmmaker, but he devoted himself to his family instead, and nurtured his love of films in his brother, now a filmmaker based in Florida.

“He poured into me and supported my career in film as an extension of himself,” Smith said. “It’s an example of the kind of person he is.” 

“He was more than a brother — he was a father, a son, and a light in our lives,” another brother, Gathmand Etienne, wrote on Facebook. “Our hearts are shattered, and we’re asking for your prayers and strength as we navigate this painful time.”

The others killed were Blackstone executive Wesley LePatner, 44; and 27-year-old Julia Hyman, who worked for real estate firm Rudin Management. 

Security camera images released by the NYPD showed Shane Tamura walking into the building shortly after 6 p.m. Monday holding a rifle, which officials later identified as an M4. Tamura shot three people including Islam and Etienne in the lobby before getting on an elevator and going to the 33rd floor where he fired on Hyman before taking his own life, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a press conference Monday night.

Adams said during a televised interview on CBS Mornings on Tuesday that investigators found a note on Tamura that implied he had chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, a brain disease caused by repeated concussions, and appeared to blame the NFL for his injuries.

“He, from our preliminary investigation, he took the wrong elevator bank up to the NFL headquarters,” said Adams.

Islam was also remembered as a “hero” by Shamsul Haque, a retired police officer and founder of the Bangladeshi American Police Association, of which Islam was a member, at the same 32BJ event on Wednesday.

“He is one of us, and losing him feels like losing a brother,” said Haque.

Islam, from The Bronx’s 47th Precinct, was working off-duty as a security guard at the Park Avenue tower at the time of the attack. An immigrant from Bangladesh, he is survived by his wife and their two children; she is pregnant with their third child. 

Mamdani, fresh off a trip to his native Uganda to celebrate his recent marriage, said he met with Islam’s family in The Bronx Wednesday morning for about an hour; he said he accepted the family’s invitation to the funeral on Thursday.

He mourned the lives cut short and called for strengthening the nation’s gun laws. Though New York has some of the strictest gun laws in the country, he noted that Tamura bought his weapon in Nevada.

“We are only as safe as the weakest gun laws in this nation,” he said. 

Mamdani said he has not talked to Mayor Eric Adams about the shooting, but he did have a conversation with Tisch.

At the event, Mamdani also expressed regret over resurfaced social media posts he made before elected office that critics have said are insensitive to police officers, and that his opponents have seized on throughout his mayoral campaign.

He responded specifically to questions about a 2020 social media post in which he replied “nature is healing” to a user who described seeing a police officer crying in his car.

“The tweet that you referred to is a tweet that is clearly out of step with the way in which I not only view police officers, the immense work that they do, but also the seriousness with which we need to treat that work, and the difficulties that come with that work,” said Mamdani.

“I am not a candidate that is fixed in time. I am one who learns and one that leads. As I’ve grown, part of that means focusing on the people who deserve to be spoken about.”

National Center of Haitian Apostolate 

The grand tribute evening in honor of the late Bishop Guy Sansaricq will be held in one week

https://youtu.be/kzXfdzNit10?si=a4p0LcntxD21HeAT

 In one week, the grand tribute evening will be held in honor of the late Bishop Guy Sansaricq, the first Haitian-American bishop in the Diaspora. The torch of Bishop Guy Sansaricq, one of the great Haitians of our time, continues to shine brightly among the Haitian community in the Diaspora, even four years after his great departure for the Father's house. He is rightly recognized, even after his death, as the Father of the Haitian community in the Diaspora and the defender of the most disadvantaged in our society. 

The evening of August 10 will be another opportunity for us to honor the memory of Bishop Guy Sansaricq, this great builder of faith who always took courageous stands in favor of the Haitian population of Haiti and the Diaspora. Bishop Guy Sansaricq is never afraid to denounce injustices and racism whenever anyone attempts to undermine the pride or dignity of his blood brothers and sisters in a foreign land: this is why he has always relegated his privileges, honor, and authority to the background throughout his priestly and episcopal life. 

 Knowing the system very well, he has always refused to play the role of scapegoat against his brothers and sisters in the Haitian community. This also explains why he has always urged his brothers and sisters to sit down and work together within our community and in Haitian pastoral ministry. He clearly understood that his role as a priest and bishop was to serve the Church of Jesus Christ and his brothers and sisters in the Haitian community. 

Bishop Guy Sansaricq has always demonstrated his intention to work as a team. In his meetings with his fellow priests and lay people, he liked to take into consideration the opinions of others, because he knows that the Holy Spirit can blow wherever he wants, he knows that priests and lay people must work together in a church of communion to advance the kingdom of God on earth. To this end, he always made the necessary effort to hear all the close personnel of his team before making a decision. One of the major projects he launched at the end of his life was to put in writing the accomplishments and achievements of Haitians and Haitian communities in the United States. To this end, he contacted various professional organizations in the United States and several luminaries of the Haitian community to concretize this project in the writing of a book https://youtu.be/UxraB1QJ9-M?si=k6_NNrw0r1XIRSxP . Alas, the Lord had other plans for him, calling him on August 21, 2021 to come and celebrate with him in heaven his 15th anniversary of episcopal life and his 61st year of priestly life.

 It is difficult to write this text without thinking of these Haitian-Americans United for Progress HAUP INC, a non-profit organization founded in 1975 by Young Father Guy Sansaricq at the Sacred Heart Parish in Cambria Heights. Father Guy Sansaricq made the decision to found this organization to meet the social needs of Haitians in New York. In the 70s, as indeed until now, our immigrants had considerable immigration problems, Haitian boat people were arriving in large numbers in New York and it was necessary to find a way to accompany these illegal newcomers. This year, HAUP INC celebrates its 50th anniversary of existence and is considered one of the largest and oldest Haitian organizations in the State of New York. We invite you to listen to an excerpt from an interview between Bishop Guy Sansaricq and Ms. Elsie Saint Louis, Executive Director of this service agency and also director of the American Choir of the Parish of the Sacred Heart of Cambria Heights, for the 45th Anniversary of HAUP INC: https://youtu.be/fKq5vkY-2Ic

 On the occasion of Bishop Guy Sansaricq's departure, I continue to ask myself many questions about our Haitian community in the United States, left to its own devices and lacking a representative capable of taking courageous stands on its behalf. Are Haitian leaders in the Diaspora different from leaders in Haiti? What are we defending: our interests or the community? One of the great challenges we face is being able to come together and strengthen solidarity among ourselves to serve the common good. Only in this way will we come to recognize that within the Haitian Community and pastoral ministry, there is no room for division. Let us convert ourselves to the model of Jesus the servant, to understand that no one can set themselves up as Savior or dictator. It is Jesus who gave his life to redeem our sins. Therefore, it is Jesus who is the center of our lives. 

Major drug bust in Cap-Haïtien exposes growing Caribbean trafficking network

Haitian police seize about 426 kg of cannabis in Petite-Anse just days after two Haitians were arrested in Jamaica for a 3,000-pound cannabis haul—worth over $58,000, local media report

by Onz Chéry Aug. 01, 2025

Overview:

Police seized 425.9 kg of cannabis and arrested three suspects in Petite-Anse—a coastal quarter near downtown Cap-Haïtien—during a raid on July 27. Just nine days earlier, two Haitians were arrested in Jamaica for trafficking over 3,000 pounds of cannabis. A July 13 cocaine seizure on Ile de La Tortue—or Tortuga Island—in the northwest adds to growing evidence that Haiti is a key transit hub in a Caribbean drug network involving notably Jamaicans, Bahamians and Haitians.

CAP-HAÏTIEN —  Cap-Haïtien police detained three people and seized 425.9 kilograms of cannabis and 525,245 gourdes, or roughly $4,000 (USD), during a 3:00 a.m. raid on a residence in the northern Petite-Anse coastal community on July 27, marking one of the largest cannabis busts in the area this year.

The suspects—Somane Etienne, 60, Guerda Pierre, 38 and Myrlande Fils-Aimé, 34—were arrested inside the residence, police said. Officers also confiscated three motorcycles, a bicycle, a solar panel, a television and several cellphones.

The operation was carried out jointly by Haiti’s Office for the Fight against Drug Trafficking (BLTS), Departmental Judicial Police Service (SDPJ), the Unité Départementale de Maintien de l’Ordre (UDMO) and the Intervention Brigade (BI). Judge of Peace Court Dieula Benjamin recorded legal observations at the scene.

BLTS, which is still investigating the case, has not yet responded to The Haitian Times’ requests for comments on the drug bust and additional details about police actions, as Haiti increasingly serves as a transit hub for regional trafficking.

“All the organized disorder in the country is a movement that first covers up the major trafficking at the international level. This isn’t just about local drug dealers anymore—it’s a transnational network operating through Haiti’s ports and airspace under gang protection.”

Himmler Rébu, Former colonel of Haiti’s Armed Forces (FAd’H)normal

In a recent interview with The Haitian Times, former colonel of Haiti’s Armed Forces (FAd’H), Himmler Rébu, said that since the assassination of President Jovenel Moise in July 2021, Haiti has been increasingly turning into a narco-state. 

 “All the organized disorder in the country is a movement that first covers up the major trafficking at the international level,” said Rébu, leader of the political party Grand Rally for the Evolution of Haiti (GREH).

 “This isn’t just about local drug dealers anymore—it’s a transnational network operating through Haiti’s ports and airspace under gang protection.” 

Caribbean ties emerge as Haiti is increasingly becoming the hub in the drug corridor

The Cap-Haïtien operation comes just nine days after two Haitians—Shelande Dorelien, 27, and Wisler Laveis, 25—were arrested in Toms River, St. Andrew, Jamaica, with over 3,000 pounds of cannabis worth approximately $58,100 (USD), according to the Caribbean National Weekly. Authorities charged them with trafficking, dealing and conspiracy to export cannabis.

The pair, who reportedly entered Jamaica illegally, are believed to be part of a regional trafficking ring that includes Bahamian and Jamaican operatives. Drug enforcement experts say Port-au-Prince’s unsecured coastline—where about 90 percent of the city is under gang control—has become a key transfer point.

A record-breaking cocaine seizure off Tortue Island also raises the stakes.

On July 13, Haitian police seized 1.05 tons of cocaine off the northern coast of Tortuga Island—Haiti’s largest-ever cocaine bust. A Jamaican man was killed and a Bahamian wounded in the operation, authorities confirmed.

PNH seized record 1.05 tons of cocaine in historic raid

The boat was allegedly headed for the United States via the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands. Prosecutor Jeir Pierre said law enforcement had monitored the route for years but was hindered by a lack of resources.

The recent uptick in drug trafficking cases suggests Haiti is playing an increasingly central role in Caribbean smuggling routes. The cannabis and cocaine intercepted over the past two weeks point to growing ties between Haitian operatives and regional networks such as Jamaica’s Shower Posse and other transnational crime syndicates.

In February 2023, a Jamaican man, Mitchell Winston Evan, 47, and a Haitian, Kerby Fils-Aimé, 21, were arrested in Fort Saint-Michel, near Cap-Haïtien, with 192.5 kg of cannabis.  Both men were charged, but the case remains under review.

Experts warn that increasing youth cannabis use in Haiti, combined with weak border security and widespread corruption, has made the country an ideal hub for trafficking. Human rights groups have also voiced concerns about drug profits being channeled to gangs controlling large swaths of the capital, the Artibonite Department—a bridge to the north—and the Central Plateau near the border with the Dominican Republic to the east.

As youth turn to marijuana, some fear Haiti’s future is going up in smoke

Residents refer to this baz bóz, which literally means the “weed station” in English, as Lakou New York, or New York Yard. Here, a few dealers usually sit on a tire or chair, or sometimes they stand.

While Haiti’s BLTS has yet to comment on the Cap-Haïtien case, the pattern of seizures suggests enforcement agencies will need regional coordination to combat an increasingly transnational drug trade.

Editor’s Note:Daniella Saint-Louis, collaborator of The Haitian Times in Haiti, contributed to this reporting.

Détails

Catégorie : What's up Little Haiti

Création : 18 juillet 2025

Haiti’s president was killed 4 years ago. The questions around his death remain unanswered

Despite arrests and a U.S. trial moving forward, Haiti’s own inquiry into the president’s murder is bogged down by gangs, court delays and threats

by The Haitian Times Jun. 18, 2025

Overview:

Nearly four years after Haitian President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated, no suspects imprisoned in Haiti have gone to trial. While the U.S. judicial system has secured guilty pleas from several defendants, Haiti’s case remains mired in gang violence, judicial instability and political pressure.

By Evens Sanon and Dánica Coto | Associated Press
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Not one suspect imprisoned in Haiti has faced trial after being charged in the killing of President Jovenel Moïse, who was gunned down at his home in the nation’s capital nearly four years ago.

Gang violence, death threats and a crumbling judicial system have stalled an ongoing investigation defined by outbursts and tense exchanges between suspects and judges.

“You failed in your mission. And you are not ashamed to declare yourself innocent,” Judge Claude Jean said in a booming voice as he stood and faced a Haitian policeman responsible for protecting the president, who was shot 12 times in Port-au-Prince on July 7, 2021.

Jean is one of six Haitian judges investigating whether there is enough evidence to warrant a trial for the 20 suspects held in the troubled Caribbean country. Authorities said some of the suspects envisioned a coup, not an assassination, leading to lucrative contracts under a new administration.

The suspects include 17 former soldiers from Colombia and three Haitian officials: an ex-mayor, a former policeman and a former Haiti Ministry of Justice employee who worked on an anti-corruption unit. 

Missing are several key Haitian suspects who escaped last year after a powerful gang federation raided Haiti’s two biggest prisons, including Dimitri Hérard, ex-head of security at Haiti’s National Palace.

Three other suspects, all Colombians, were killed hours after Moïse was slain, while a key suspect in the case, Haitian Superior Court Judge Windelle Coq Thélot, died in January while still a fugitive.

Courthouse under siege

The investigation was repeatedly halted by the resignation of judges who feared for their lives. Defense attorneys then appealed after the court ruled there was sufficient evidence for trial. Jean and five other judges are now tasked with restarting the inquiry. But determining complicity among 51 suspects is only one of numerous challenges.

Last year, powerful gangs seized control of the downtown Port-au-Prince courthouse where the judges were interrogating suspects. The hearings were suspended until the government rented a home in Pacot, a neighborhood once considered safe enough for the French embassy. But gangs controlling 85% of Haiti’s capital recently attacked and forced the government to move again.

The hearings restarted in May, this time in a private home in Pétion-Ville, a community trying to defend itself from gangs seeking full control of Port-au-Prince.

‘Nothing we could do’

As a fan swirled lazily in the background, Judge Phemond Damicy grilled Ronald Guerrier in late May.

One of several police officers tasked with protecting the president, Guerrier insisted he never entered Moïse’s home and couldn’t fight the intruders because he was dazed by a stun grenade.

“The attackers were dressed all in black. They wore balaclavas and blinded us with their flashlights. I couldn’t identify anyone,” Guerrier testified, adding they used a megaphone to claim they were U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents. “The attackers operated as if they were entering their own home. It seemed they knew the place perfectly.”

Damicy asked if they shot at drones that Guerrier said were buzzing above the president’s home.

“The attackers covered the entire area with their fire,” Guerrier replied. 

“There was nothing we could do.”

Damicy grew exasperated. “Under no circumstances should an enemy cross you with impunity to commit his crime,” he said. “In your place, I would fire on the enemy. I would even die, if necessary.”

‘I don’t know’

Inside the investigation’s heavily guarded, stone-and-concrete headquarters in a leafy residential community, raised voices have dominated tense interrogations.

One judge stood and thundered a question about a gun: “On the day of the death of President Jovenel Moïse, were you in possession of a Galil?”

In another outburst in March, a judge repeatedly pressed Joseph Badio, the former Ministry of Justice official who spent two years on the run, about his call to former Prime Minister Ariel Henry after the assassination. At the time, Henry had only been nominated as prime minister by Moïse.

“You can say whatever you want with your mouth,” Badio told the judge, who ordered him to sit as he rose while speaking. “There is no prohibition for me to communicate with anyone I want.”

The tension has carried over into interrogations of the Colombian suspects, who maintain they were hired by a Miami-based security firm to provide security for power and water treatment plants and diplomatic officials, as well as train Haitian police and soldiers.

The Colombians have denied involvement, while their attorney, Nathalie Delisca, said there has been no presumption of innocence during the interrogations.

“The treatment inflicted on the detainees was inhumane,” she said, alleging mistreatment by authorities after their arrest.

The former soldiers said they were beaten, threatened with death, forced to sign documents in a language they don’t understand and barred from communicating with their lawyers and families for long stretches.

“I have been subjected to degrading treatment. I have been subjected to physical and psychological torture,” Jheyner Alberto Carmona Flores said during a recent hearing.

He spoke Spanish in a clear and loud voice, sometimes correcting an interpreter translating his testimony into French.

“I have no involvement because I don’t know when or where the president was assassinated,” Carmona Flores said, claiming he was summoned to provide security at the perimeter of Moïse’s house and did not know the president had been fatally shot.

Working under threat

While the case in Haiti has stalled, the U.S. has charged 11 extradited suspects, with five already pleading guilty to conspiring to kill Moïse.

Five other suspects are awaiting trial, which is now scheduled for March 2026.

They include Anthony “Tony” Intriago, owner of Miami-based CTU Security, and Haitian-Americans James Solages, a key suspect, and Christian Emmanuel Sanon, a pastor, doctor and failed businessman who envisioned himself as Haiti’s new leader.

Moïse’s widow, Martine Moïse, is expected to testify in the U.S. case. She was injured in the attack and accused by a Haitian judge of complicity and criminal association, which her attorneys deny.

Court documents say the plan was to detain Jovenel Moïse and whisk him away, but changed after the suspects failed to find a plane or sufficient weapons. A day before Moïse died, Solages falsely told other suspects it was a CIA operation and the mission was to kill the president, the documents allege.

Bruner Ulysse, a lawyer and history professor in Haiti, lamented how the local investigation has highlighted what he called “profound challenges” in Haiti’s judicial system.

“While international efforts have yielded some results, the quest for justice in Haiti remains elusive,” Ulysse said. “Judges, prosecutors and lawyers operate under constant threat.”

US eyes new remittance tax to curb undocumented immigration in ‘Big Beautiful Bill’

A new tax aims to slow the money flow from immigrants to their home countries, sparking concerns in the Haitian diaspora

by The Haitian Times Jul. 09, 2025

Overview:

A controversial new provision taxing remittances sent from the United States to foreign countries is set to take effect early next year as a strategy to curb undocumented immigration. Haitian American communities fear the measure could hurt families dependent on remittances.

Tucked between lines of legal jargon in President Donald Trump’s sweeping new “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” signed into law on the Fourth of July, is a provision with outsized impact on immigrant families: a 1% tax on international money transfers from the United States. Billed as a measure to curb undocumented immigration, the tax has sparked alarm across diaspora communities—especially among Haitians, who rely on remittances as a lifeline for loved ones back home

According to researchers at the Center for Global Development, the tax is likely to impact mainly Mexico, some middle-income countries like China and India, and Latin American countries, including Haiti. 

“[The] tax would be likely to reduce remittances sent through formal channels (such as banks and money transfer operators like Western Union by reducing the amount sent, as a portion is diverted towards the tax; and by discouraging remittances altogether,” commented in a blog post on the tax. 

Initially proposed as a 5% tax, the rate was reduced to 3.5% in the House version and further to 1% in the Senate draft. The tax applies primarily to cash-based transfers, such as those made with money orders or cashier’s checks, while transfers through U.S. banks or with U.S.-issued debit or credit cards are exempt. Earlier versions of the provisions called for senders who are U.S. citizens to be exempt from the tax — a measure that has since been removed because of implementation complications. 

Remittances make up roughly 17 percent of Haiti’s GDP, with more than $3.4 billion sent annually to the country, mainly from the United States.

Remittances from the U.S., in particular, make up the bulk of the money transfers. Of every $10 remitted to Haiti in 2020, at least $8 came from the U.S., according to the authors of an Inter-American Dialogue report, State Collapse and the Protection of Remittance Payments: Haiti in 2024, said.

“I still have to pay my employee, there’s not much I can do other than just accept it,” Pierre Paul, an Amazon warehouse worker based in Connecticut who sends remittances to Haiti, said about the tax in the new bill. 

Paul owns a Moncash office, a financial services platform, in Delmas 33 and sends $120 per month to his employee via Remitly or Western Union.

“If it’s one percent, it’s going to have a slight impact. The impact would have felt more if it was six percent,” Paul, 40, continued.

“What can I do? I will have to send the money anyway—my family needs it,” said a woman at a CAM Transfer location at the corner of Flatbush and Newkirk Avenue in Brooklyn, New York who chose to remain anonymous due to privacy concerns. 

“I’ll just have to pay the fee. He’s the boss, the president.”

A double tax for Haitians

After years of sending money to Haiti from the United States, a group of Haitians living in the U.S. were the lead plaintiffs in a lawsuit against former president Michel Martelly, Western Union, and others over a $1.50 fee on all international transfers — whether cash or digital —  to Haiti. 

The move sparked condemnation from advocates, officials and private citizens alike, calling the fee an unofficial tax on the diaspora without parliament’s approval. 

The case, filed in 2018 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, accused Martelly, Western Union, CAM, Unibank, Digicel Haiti, and others of conspiring to impose fees on money transfers and phone calls, allegedly under the guise of funding education in Haiti. However, according to court documents obtained earlier this year by The Haitian Times, a federal judge dismissed the case in June 2023, citing a lack of evidence to support the claims of price-fixing or financial mismanagement.

With the $1.50 transfer still in place, Haitians are effectively facing a double tax on remittances, making it more expensive to send money to loved ones back home. 

Critics warn that the tax may push more remittance activities into informal channels, making them harder to track and potentially reducing the overall flow of funds to countries like Haiti. 

“They know Haitians care deeply for their families—they’re playing on our emotions to make more money,” said a man at a CAM Transfer location on Flatbush Avenue, who also chose to stay anonymous due to privacy concerns. He had just sent $800 to two relatives and said he wires money several times a month. 

“For people sending larger amounts, this tax might make them cut back. If someone sends four times a month, maybe now they’ll only send three,” said a clerk at another CAM Transfer location in Flatbush, Brooklyn, who requested anonymity due to job-related privacy concerns..

The provision is set to take effect on Jan. 1, 2026.

Onz Chery contributed to this report.