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US considers evacuation options from Haiti as Americans and Haitians hope to escape gang violence

Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic — The U.S. State Department said it was considering options to evacuate trapped American citizens. haitiA power vacuum has left violent gangs in control of much of the capital, causing more than 15,000 people to flee their homes.

On Tuesday, 10 Americans arrived in Florida from Haiti on a private plane chartered by missionaries.

As CBS News correspondent Manuel Bohorquez found in the northern Haitian city of Cap-Haitien, many others still want to leave and worry about those who will have to leave behind.

“We continue to explore the options at our disposal regarding U.S. citizens interested in leaving Haiti,” State Department Deputy Spokesman Vedant Patel said Tuesday. He said nearly 1,000 people filled out the questionnaire. Crisis reception form Through the ministry's website, they are asking for help and ways to escape Haiti.

He said the State Department “will continue to communicate with these American citizens.”

Top Shot-Haiti-Politics-Unrest-Protests
On March 18, 2024, residents of Petion Ville, a suburb of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, reacted after more than a dozen people were killed by gang members on the street.

Clarence Cifroy/AFP/Getty


Asked whether the U.S. government supported civilian evacuation flights, sometimes arranged with the help of U.S. members of Congress, Patel said such missions “deviate from the official work of the State Department.” He said that the risks could be high. But he stressed that the government will welcome Americans heading to safety.

Grégoire Lecomte, a U.S. passport holder, was one of hundreds of Cap-Haitiens who were trying to flee the country on Tuesday when there were no flights to leave.

“The situation in Haiti is very bad,” he told CBS News.

The woman, who asked to remain anonymous, expressed fear for the friends and family she may soon leave behind, but said the risk was too high.

“People come into your house and kill you, rape you, do all sorts of things, and then set your house on fire,” she said.


Leadership in turmoil, Haiti's future in jeopardy

07:20

As many people waited for a chance to escape, a mission flight from Fort Pierce, Florida, landed in Cap-Haitien with approximately 5,300 pounds of critical humanitarian supplies, including food and baby formula.

CBS Miami's Tania Francois was the only journalist on the flight. Airport officials told her this was the first plane to fly from the United States to Haiti with her passengers and desperately needed food.

The plane then flew south from Cap-Haitien, arriving in the town of Piñon, about halfway between the northern port city and the chaos of Port-au-Prince. 14 people have since returned to Florida. 10 U.S. passport holders and 4 Haitian nationals.

Haitian passenger Crisla Pierre told Francois: “That's not what I want, because Haiti is my country.” She said she is traveling to the United States because it is the only way for her 15-month-old son, who is an American citizen, to see a pediatrician.

Annex Sfarance, another Haitian on the plane, said she was returning to the United States on a student visa after visiting family in the Caribbean country.

“I am happy to have the opportunity to study in the United States, but my goal is to come back and serve my country,” he said.

Summarize this content to 100 words Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic — The U.S. State Department said it was considering options to evacuate trapped American citizens. haitiA power vacuum has left violent gangs in control of much of the capital, causing more than 15,000 people to flee their homes. On Tuesday, 10 Americans arrived in Florida from Haiti on a private plane chartered by missionaries.As CBS News correspondent Manuel Bohorquez found in the northern Haitian city of Cap-Haitien, many others still want to leave and worry about those who will have to leave behind.”We continue to explore the options at our disposal regarding U.S. citizens interested in leaving Haiti,” State Department Deputy Spokesman Vedant Patel said Tuesday. He said nearly 1,000 people filled out the questionnaire. Crisis reception form Through the ministry's website, they are asking for help and ways to escape Haiti.

He said the State Department “will continue to communicate with these American citizens.”

On March 18, 2024, residents of Petion Ville, a suburb of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, reacted after more than a dozen people were killed by gang members on the street.

Clarence Cifroy/AFP/Getty

Asked whether the U.S. government supported civilian evacuation flights, sometimes arranged with the help of U.S. members of Congress, Patel said such missions “deviate from the official work of the State Department.” He said that the risks could be high. But he stressed that the government will welcome Americans heading to safety.

Grégoire Lecomte, a U.S. passport holder, was one of hundreds of Cap-Haitiens who were trying to flee the country on Tuesday when there were no flights to leave. “The situation in Haiti is very bad,” he told CBS News.The woman, who asked to remain anonymous, expressed fear for the friends and family she may soon leave behind, but said the risk was too high. “People come into your house and kill you, rape you, do all sorts of things, and then set your house on fire,” she said.

Leadership in turmoil, Haiti's future in jeopardy

07:20

As many people waited for a chance to escape, a mission flight from Fort Pierce, Florida, landed in Cap-Haitien with approximately 5,300 pounds of critical humanitarian supplies, including food and baby formula.

CBS Miami's Tania Francois was the only journalist on the flight. Airport officials told her this was the first plane to fly from the United States to Haiti with her passengers and desperately needed food. The plane then flew south from Cap-Haitien, arriving in the town of Piñon, about halfway between the northern port city and the chaos of Port-au-Prince. 14 people have since returned to Florida. 10 U.S. passport holders and 4 Haitian nationals. Haitian passenger Crisla Pierre told Francois: “That's not what I want, because Haiti is my country.” She said she is traveling to the United States because it is the only way for her 15-month-old son, who is an American citizen, to see a pediatrician.Annex Sfarance, another Haitian on the plane, said she was returning to the United States on a student visa after visiting family in the Caribbean country. “I am happy to have the opportunity to study in the United States, but my goal is to come back and serve my country,” he said.

Manuel Bohorquez

Manuel Bojorquez is a national correspondent for CBS News based in Miami.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/haiti-news-us-citizens-evacuation-options-americans-trapped-gang-violence/ US considers evacuation options from Haiti as Americans and Haitians hope to escape gang violence

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