Leslie Voltaire, the head of Haiti’s interim presidential council, declared that the Trump administration’s actions to halt aid, deport migrants, and bar refugees would be “catastrophic” for Haiti. The remark was made by Voltaire in an interview with The Associated Press in Rome during a Vatican meeting with Pope Francis. To request assistance for Haiti, he went to the pope and said, “I’m knocking on the doors of people who love Haiti. The pope loves Haiti, and he is eager to help.”
Voltaire talked about the awful situation of affairs in Haiti, where gangs have killed citizens and are allowed to operate without consequence. Losing humanitarian aid will make the situation worse for Haiti’s 11.4 million people, half of whom are already hungry. He pointed out that gangs are harassing the population and that thousands of individuals are deported from the Dominican Republic every week. “The situation will be catastrophic” with the new US policy.
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President Donald Trump questioned why the United States would admit immigration from Haiti and “shithole countries” in Africa during his first term in office, using foul language. Although the White House did not refute his remarks, it did add that Trump is in favor of immigration laws that accept “those who can contribute to our society.”
According to Voltaire, around 150,000 Haitians are accepted under the “Temporary Protection System,” out of the approximately 1.5 million Haitians living in the United States. Haiti cannot manage the surge, Voltaire added, adding that Trump has stated that he will evict everyone.
According to a report by the United Nations migration agency, gang violence has been a major factor in the threefold increase in internal displacement in Haiti over the past year, which has already surpassed one million individuals. Food insecurity has gotten worse due to “relentless gang violence” in Port-au-Prince, which has caused a near-doubling of relocation and the collapse of healthcare and other services, according to the International Organization for Migration. Approximately 200,000 individuals, primarily from the Dominican Republic, have been forcefully repatriated to Haiti in the past year.
Even though strong gangs control 85% of the metropolis, Voltaire and his transitional administration want to take the nation to general elections by November of next year. He thinks that Haiti may have elections this year provided they increase the number of personnel in their international police force by several thousand. With more than 600 policemen, Kenya leads the international police force, falling short of the 1,000 officers promised. The force is still below its expected number of 2,500 officers, despite the arrival of an extra 150 Guatemalans and eight Salvadorean soldiers. Benin has promised an extra 2,000 troops, according to Voltaire.
“We have to do a referendum on a new constitution and also the election at the end of November. I say that we can do the elections because we have like eight departments, like 80 percent of the country. We can do the election.”
Since President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated in 2021, gangs have become more powerful in Haiti. Although some gangs have expressed a desire to participate in politics, Voltaire ruled down the idea, stating, “I don’t think they should be around the table.” They seem like crooks to me.
Last year, over 5,600 persons were reported dead in Haiti, a more than 20% increase in fatalities over 2023. Without more international assistance for the national police, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that gangs might soon take over Port-au-Prince, resulting in a total collapse of governmental authority.
Voltaire requested that a worldwide congress of solidarity for Haiti be organized by the pope. On a piece of paper, the Pope scrawled “international conference,” and Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin stated that the Vatican would attempt to persuade Canada and Mexico to contribute to the financing of a meeting in Haiti.
