A U.S. deportation flight carrying Haitian returnees arrived in Cap-Haïtien near sunset Thursday after hours of delays, leaving Haitian migration officials working late into the night to process and assist passengers returning to a country already struggling with a major security and humanitarian crisis.
Global X Flight 6122 originated in Alexandria, Louisiana, a hub used for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement removal flights, before stopping at Opa-locka Executive Airport in South Florida. The aircraft was initially expected to arrive in Cap-Haïtien around midday but did not leave South Florida until 5:10 p.m. It landed in Haiti at approximately 6:51 p.m., according to reporting originally published by the Miami Herald.
The delay created problems for Haiti’s Office National de la Migration (ONM), whose staff had been preparing since earlier in the day to receive the returnees.
According to the report, the passengers had already spent more than 13 hours in shackles, not including flight time, by the time the aircraft reached Haiti. Haitian officials said receiving returnees involves several steps, including immigration processing, police checks and arranging assistance for people trying to reach their families.
The passenger count also changed during the day. Haitian migration officials had initially prepared to receive 71 people but later learned that more than two dozen additional detainees had been added to the manifest, bringing the expected number to 98. The unexpected increase put additional pressure on the government’s limited resources.
ONM had planned to increase financial assistance for returnees from about $80 to $200 per person. However, officials said the last-minute increase in passengers left the agency without enough money to provide the higher amount or cover lodging for everyone who might need it.
Deportation Flights to Haiti Increase
The arrival is part of a noticeable increase in U.S. deportation flights to Haiti.
For years, removal flights generally arrived about once a month. They have recently shifted to a weekly schedule. An Associated Press report confirmed that 101 people were deported to Haiti on September 3, marking the third consecutive Thursday with a deportation flight. More than 200 people had also been returned on two flights in late August.
The increase followed the end of Temporary Protected Status protections for hundreds of thousands of Haitians in the United States and subsequent court action that allowed the termination to take effect. The August 20 flight was the first large deportation flight following that change and carried more than 160 people to Cap-Haïtien.
Some recent flights have included children traveling with their parents. On an August 27 flight carrying 57 Haitians, reporting confirmed that several U.S.-born children accompanied their families, including a one-year-old child.
Returning to an Uncertain Situation
The flights are landing in Cap-Haïtien instead of Port-au-Prince because of security concerns surrounding Haiti’s capital and its airport. Gang violence has also made traveling from northern Haiti toward Port-au-Prince and other regions dangerous.
That creates another problem for returnees who do not have relatives or a place to stay in Cap-Haïtien. Some must figure out how to travel across the country with limited money and few belongings.
Haiti’s migration office says its responsibility is to receive returning Haitians and help them reach their communities. ONM has provided returnees with financial assistance, food and basic necessities during previous deportation operations.
For Haitian authorities, however, the growing number and frequency of flights are putting additional pressure on an already limited reception system. Thursday’s lengthy delay showed how quickly those challenges can grow when a flight arrives later — and with more passengers — than officials were expecting.
