Deported Haitian Criminals Boast Serious Rap Sheets

More than 100 Haitian nationals with criminal records have been deported from the United States and returned to Haiti, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

The agency said Immigration and Customs Enforcement completed the removal flight on July 16. DHS officials described the deportees as individuals convicted of serious crimes, including sexual offenses against children, carjacking, drug trafficking, and fraud.

“Last week, ICE deported pedophiles, carjackers, drug traffickers and perpetrators of fraud to Haiti,” Assistant DHS Secretary Lauren Bis said in a statement.

Bis added that foreign nationals who commit crimes while living illegally in the United States should not expect to remain in the country.

“Criminal illegal aliens have no place in American communities,” she said. “Our message to illegal aliens is clear: Leave now. If you don’t, we will find you and deport you.”

The flight comes as the Trump administration continues its broader effort to increase deportations and tighten immigration enforcement. Haiti has been one of the more complicated countries involved in that effort because of its severe political instability, widespread gang violence, and ongoing humanitarian crisis.

Hundreds of thousands of Haitians currently live in the United States under Temporary Protected Status, a program that allows people from certain countries affected by war, natural disasters, or other extraordinary conditions to remain and work in the country temporarily.

The administration has sought to limit or end those protections for many Haitians, arguing that temporary programs should not become permanent substitutes for the normal immigration process. Supporters of the policy say people convicted of serious crimes should be removed regardless of the conditions in their home country. Critics argue that deporting people to Haiti could place them in extreme danger because the government has lost control of large parts of the country.

The situation in Haiti remains dire.

Armed gangs control significant territory, especially in and around the capital of Port-au-Prince. They have attacked police stations, blocked roads, burned vehicles, kidnapped civilians, and used social media to threaten communities and recruit children.