Haiti’s Cap-Haitien Receives First US Deportation Flight as City Warns It Cannot Cope | Ukraine news

The first arrivals were met with relief, uncertainty, and a warning that Haiti’s northern city may already be stretched beyond its limits.

The city of Cap-Haïtien in northern Haiti could become a key destination for Haitians whom the Donald Trump administration is deporting from the United States. At the same time, the community has long been taking in internally displaced people who fled Port-au-Prince and other parts of the country because of violence and the political crisis.

On Thursday, the first deportation flight from the United States arrived in Cap-Haïtien following the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS). This status had protected approximately 350,000 Haitian nationals living in the United States from deportation and allowed them to work legally. After a court ruling ended these protections, thousands of Haitians found themselves at risk of removal.

Haiti’s National Migration Office reported that 161 people were brought to the city on a charter flight. Some passengers fell to their knees and kissed the ground as they left the plane. Others tried to cover their faces and quickly leave the airport grounds, where local journalists were waiting for them.

Cap-Haïtien cannot take in any more people on its own. We are receiving not only deportees from outside Haiti… because of the political crisis, people are arriving here from Hinche, Port-au-Prince, and the country’s interior regions.

– Demonstène Reynold

Cap-Haïtien is struggling to cope with population growth

City residents emphasize that Cap-Haïtien already faces serious infrastructure problems. Traffic jams regularly form on the roads, waste collection sites are overflowing, and medical facilities are operating at full capacity.

At Hospital Fort Saint Michel, patients are forced to wait for medical care outdoors. They include mothers with young children and infants.

As you can see for yourself, all hospitals in the region are overcrowded, despite all the government’s efforts. If they are full with the current population, I would be lying if I said we could take in anyone else.

– Louis Ronald Espoir

Former mayor Angie Bell believes that Haiti must be prepared for the return of its citizens. However, she says this requires the development of urban infrastructure and proper security measures.

According to Angie Bell’s estimate, Cap-Haïtien’s population has grown from around 350,000 at the time of the 2003 census to at least 800,000 people. Due to the housing shortage, many people work in the city but live in surrounding areas.

Assistance for deportees and the risk of a new crisis

The Haitian government and humanitarian organizations, including the International Office for Migration, provide new arrivals with basic support. Deportees receive:

• food;
• money for onward travel;
• temporary housing;
• assistance in locating relatives.

However, not all arrivals leave Cap-Haïtien after receiving assistance. Some have no clear idea where to go next. Jean Négot Bonheur Delva spoke about one passenger on the flight who was born in the Dominican Republic to Haitian parents, lived in the United States, and had never visited Haiti before being deported.

Cap-Haïtien is considered relatively safer than Port-au-Prince, where armed groups operate and kidnappings are widespread. However, residents of the northern city fear that large-scale deportations of Haitians from the United States could worsen the housing shortage, overwhelm hospitals, and heighten social tensions.