Haitian-American legislators and Caribbean-American U.S. Rep. Yvette D. Clarke have collectively expressed profound outrage, strongly condemning President Donald J. Trump’s immediate travel ban barring people from 12 countries, including Haiti, from entering the US.
Besides Haiti, Trump on Wednesday banned people from Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen from entering the US.
The US President also restricted travelers from Cuba, Venezuela, Burundi, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo and Turkmenistan.”
Photo courtesy Office of New York State Assemblywoman Rodneyse Bichotte-Hermelyn
“It is with outrage and concern that Trump’s administration has imposed a new travel ban that disproportionately affects African and Caribbean nations, including Haiti,“ New York State Assembly Member Rodnesye Bichotte-Hermelyn, the Haitian-American chair of the Brooklyn Democratic Party, told Caribbean Life on Thursday.
“As the daughter of Haitian immigrants, I condemn this discriminatory policy against Haiti and other countries,“ added the representative for the 42nd Assembly District in Brooklyn. “This decision will create chaos, threaten families, and harm diplomatic relations, causing fear and uncertainty.
“I urge Americans to oppose Trump’s racist and xenophobic policies and fight to restore democracy in our legislative, executive, and judicial branches,“ Bichotte Hermelyn continued.
New York City Council Member Farah N. Louis, the daughter of Haitian and Bahamian immigrants, said Trump’s decision to impose travel restrictions on 12 countries, including Haiti, “represents a despicable and deeply troubling moment for our community.
“Haiti is once again being unfairly targeted, and this is clearly an intentional attack on our identity and dignity,“ the representative for the 45th Council District in Brooklyn told Caribbean Life. “This federal government has exhibited ongoing hostility toward Haiti and Haitian nationals in the United States—people who have fought to make their home here and invested heavily in our economy while supporting our shared values.
“Reports of this recent and immediate travel ban compound the crisis we are already confronting—the administration’s massive deportation efforts scheduled for August 2025,“ Louis added.
She said that turning away Haitians fleeing violence and political instability is a “cruel policy wrapped in false justification.
“The United States has a moral obligation to protect, not punish, the vulnerable,“ the Council Member said. “This decision punishes people fleeing crisis and betrays the values we claim to uphold.“
Louis disclosed that the National Haitian American Organization Network — uniting Haitian elected officials and executive leaders nationwide — will soon announce “a comprehensive, coordinated national strategy to support Haitian nationals affected by this recent decision.
“Together, we stand committed to protecting our community and ensuring their voices are heard,“ she said.
Louis’s City Council colleague Rita Joseph, the Haitian-born representative for the 40th Council District in Brooklyn, also told Caribbean Life that Trump “fails to acknowledge the humanitarian crisis driving the instability in Haiti.
“This travel ban punishes those who are victims of extraordinary violence, lawlessness, and political instability,“ she said. “The situation in Haiti is, indeed, dire – over 5,600 people were killed in gang violence in 2024 alone, and one million people have been displaced, half of whom are children.
“The country faces what the United Nations has called “a point of no return,” with nearly half of the population facing high levels of acute food insecurity,“ she added. “Rather than closing our doors to Haitian nationals fleeing this violence, we should be working with the Haitian community in the Diaspora and at home along with international partners to address the root causes of the crisis.”
Joseph noted that gang violence has expanded into new regions, with at least four massacres claiming over 400 lives in recent months.
“The Haitian people are not the source of this instability – they are its victims,“ she said. “These travel restrictions come at a time when Haiti desperately needs international support, not isolation. Nearly half of the Haitian population needs some form of humanitarian assistance, and cutting off pathways for legal migration only compounds the suffering of those seeking safety and opportunity.”
The council member called on Trump to reconsider these restrictions as they apply to Haiti and instead focus on Supporting efforts to restore security and stability with the people of Haiti, facilitating humanitarian assistance to address the immediate needs of the Haitian people, such as famine, economic instability, healthcare and more; and working with regional partners to tackle the flow of weapons fueling gang violence.
Joseph also urged the Trump administration to conduct congressional oversight on the illegal flow of weapons into Haiti and the wider Caribbean region and to maintain pathways for Haitian nationals to seek refuge and opportunity in the United States.
“Our country has always been strengthened by those who have come here seeking a better life, including many members of our Haitian community who have contributed immeasurably to our city’s character and economy,“ she said. “We must not turn our backs on them in their hour of greatest need.
“As a New York City Council Member who represents a significant Haitian community in my district, I will remain steadfast in my advocacy for their protection and support,“ she added. “The answer to Haiti’s crisis is not to slam the door shut, but to extend a helping hand while working toward lasting solutions that restore peace, stability, and prosperity.“
Caribbean-American U.S. Rep. Yvette D. Clarke described Trump’s decision as “bigotry in the name of security.
“We’ve seen it before,“ said the daughter of Jamaican immigrants, who represents the 9th Congressional District in Brooklyn. “We remember the Muslim Ban and what he had to say about ‘shit hole‘ countries. His hate isn’t new.
“But tonight (Wednesday), the president saw the world’s most suffering people, and he chose to make them suffer more,“ added the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus. “What kind of man is he?”
In a White House proclamation on Wednesday, Trump noted that, during his first administration, he restricted the entry of foreign nationals into the United States, “which successfully prevented national security threats from reaching our borders and which the Supreme Court upheld.”
In an executive order, “Protecting the United States From Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats,” when he resumed office on Jan. 20, 2025, Trump stated that “it is the policy of the United States to protect its citizens from aliens who intend to commit terrorist attacks, threaten our national security, espouse hateful ideology, or otherwise exploit the immigration laws for malevolent purposes.“
Trump also recalled that he’d stated that “the United States must be vigilant during the visa-issuance process to ensure that those aliens approved for admission into the United States do not intend to harm Americans or our national interests.
“More importantly, the United States must identify such aliens before their admission or entry into the United States,“ he said.
“The United States must ensure that admitted aliens and aliens otherwise already present in the United States do not bear hostile attitudes toward its citizens, culture, government, institutions, or founding principles, and do not advocate for aid, or support designated foreign terrorists or other threats to our national security,“ he added.
Trump said his approach was “designed to encourage cooperation with the subject countries in recognition of each country’s unique circumstances.
“The restrictions and limitations imposed by this proclamation are, in my judgment, necessary to prevent the entry or admission of foreign nationals about whom the United States Government lacks sufficient information to assess the risks they pose to the United States,“ he said.
“The restrictions and limitations imposed by this proclamation are necessary to garner cooperation from foreign governments, enforce our immigration laws, and advance other important foreign policy, national security, and counterterrorism objectives,“ Trump added.
