HAITI

By Ryan YousefiThe family of a Tamarac couple kidnapped during a recent trip to Haiti is pleading for help as their whereabouts remain unclear, even as an initial ransom was paid to their kidnappers. According to the family, Jean Dickens Tousaint and his wife, Abigail Tousaint, of Tamarac, were visiting relatives and attending a festival in Haiti when a bus the couple was riding in was stopped by unknown assailants who requested all Americans be removed. The kidnapping reportedly occurred just outside the city of Port-au-Prince, but the couple’s current whereabouts are unknown. The family has since been frantically trying to negotiate with the kidnappers, who have demanded an exorbitant ransom of $200,000 per person. The family initially paid $6,000, but the kidnappers refused to release the couple, demanding even more money.

Family members of a South Florida couple got less than five minutes to speak with their loved ones over the weekend as they remained captive after being kidnapped while on a family visit to the country.

According to family, Abigail Toussaint and her husband, Jean-Dickens Toussaint, were kidnapped in Haiti on March 18 and are being held for ransom.

A South Florida family is begging for help after two natives were kidnapped during a trip to Haiti.

The United Nations reported that fresh gang violence in Haiti has left 187 people dead in 11 days. The Prime Minister is seeking to mobilize Haiti’s military to end gang violence.

The U.N. says that new clashes between gangs in Haiti’s capital and beyond have killed at least 187 people in less than two weeks and injured more than 150 others

New suspects, including a pastor and a well-known gang leader, have been identified in the 2021 assassination of Haiti President Jovenel Moïse.

Authorities in Haiti have identified new suspects in the July 2021 killing of President Jovenel Moïse

Authorities in Haiti have identified new suspects in the July 2021 killing of President Jovenel Moïse.

Doctors Without Borders says it has been forced to temporarily close its hospital in Cite Soleil given a sharp rise in gang violence that has left dozens dead in recent weeks

The Caribbean saw a jump in visitors last year at numbers not seen since the pandemic began. Some territories such as Puerto Rico even saw numbers that surpassed pre-pandemic levels.

A Haitian migrant died while aboard a U.S. Coast Guard cutter on Wednesday, authorities announced.

Estimates of rubble following the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria from the U.N. Development Program were higher than other recent disasters.

Haitian gang Baz Gran Grif has taken control of numerous communities, killing at least 69 people and leaving several police stations abandoned as a result.

The United Nations says a powerful gang has taken over numerous communities in central Haiti in recent weeks and has killed at least 69 people and forced authorities to abandon several police stations

For the first time ever, the Haitian women’s soccer team has qualified for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Alongside U.S. 1 in the Upper Florida Keys, the Old Highway still lives. It used to be the main road that spanned the island chain before the Overseas Highway was finished in 1938.

Four Florida men were arrested on Tuesday in connection with the July 7, 2021 assassination of Haiti's President Jovenel Mois, according to the DOJ.

U.S. authorities have arrested four more people in the slaying of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse, including the owner of a Miami-area security company that hired former soldiers from Colombia for the mission.

Some 114 Haitian migrants have made landfall in the Florida Keys, continuing an uptick of people making their way from Haiti and Cuba by sea, the U.S. Border Patrol say

His paranoid policies against civil society have weakened the very institutions the country needs to deal with the disaster.

Four key suspects in the killing of Haiti’s president appear for the first time in U.S. federal court to face accusations that they plotted and participated in his assassination, a day after they were transferred to the United States for prosecution.

A 5.0 magnitude earthquake has struck just south of the Dominican Republic and jolted people from their beds

The Coast Guard returned 309 Haitian migrants to their home country after intercepting their boat in waters off Florida's coast. The group was a mixture of men, women and children.

New charges have been filed in connection to the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said on Monday in Miami-Dade County that the new program for refugees and asylum seekers from Cuba, Haiti, Venezuela, and Nicaragua is already working.

The measures announced by President Biden earlier this month have led to a sharp drop in unlawful entries along the U.S.-Mexico border.

More than 4,400 migrants have made their way by boat to the U.S. since August, officials say.

The number of Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan, and Venezuelan migrants attempting to cross the southwest border unlawfully has decreased drastically after announcement of an expanded parole program.

The Biden administration says U.S. authorities have seen a 97% decline in illegal border crossings by migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela since Mexico began accepting those expelled under a public health order.

WASHINGTON, DC – The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved today a disbursement of SDR 81.9 million (US$105 million) to Haiti under the Food Shock Window of the Rapid Credit Facility to help Haiti address urgent balance of payment needs related to the global food crisis. Haiti has been hit hard by the global food price shock. Record price inflation has worsened Haiti’s fragility given the high pass through from global to domestic food prices and shortages in food supplies. This shock compounds the hardships of an already highly fragile country—also suffering a public health emergency (cholera) and serious security risks. Following the Executive Board’s discussion, Ms. Antoinette Sayeh, Deputy Managing Director and Acting Chair, issued the following statement:

U.N. Secretary General António Guterres is insisting on the deployment of an international specialized armed force to Haiti and calling on governments to consider halting deportations as the country’s situation spirals

Officials say the U.S. Coast Guard has detained a boat carrying 396 Haitian migrants near the Bahamas in one of the biggest human smuggling incidents in the region.

One of Haiti’s gangs stormed a key part of Port-Au-Prince, battling with Haitian police throughout the day and leaving at least three officers dead

Florida Sen. Rick Scott is set to join local officials Thursday in Marathon to discuss the ongoing migrant crisis in the Florida Keys.

Monroe County commissioners asked for more federal resources to deal with the ongoing migrant crisis in the Florida Keys, passing a resolution as they met Wednesday morning in Marathon.

The president's new immigration plan has been described as carrot and stick.

Many were seen gathering underneath the statue of Haitian general and pioneer Toussant L’ouverture on Thursday for a moment of reflection in Little Haiti.

As President Joe Biden announced the recent expansion of an immigration policy for migrants coming from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela, sponsors in South Florida are stepping up to help people who might not even know about the program.

Gov. Ron DeSantis attacked President Joe Biden’s immigration policy Thursday amid a surge in migrants arriving in South Florida.

After President Joe Biden announced nearly one week ago that he is expanding a program to accept up to 30,000 migrants per month from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela, many South Floridians are already benefitting.

Officials confirmed that 187 migrants were repatriated to Cuba and 83 others to Haiti Monday after hundreds more were sent back home over the weekend.

As migrants, primarily from Cuba and Haiti, continue to arrive in the Florida Keys, more state law enforcement officials are now joining the efforts to tackle the unprecedented crisis.

Immigration attorney Willy Allen is in favor of President Biden’s new asylum policy affecting migrants from Cuba, Haiti and Nicaragua.

Multiple agencies responded Tuesday morning after a sail freighter with what appeared to be more than 100 Haitian migrants onboard attempted to make landfall in Key Largo.

At least 500 migrants have landed in the Florida Keys over the last several days in what the local sheriff’s office described on Monday as a “crisis.”

U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a tweet that at least 88 migrants were from Cuba.

24 migrants made landfall in Palm Beach Spring Tuesday in what the head of the U.S. Border Patrol’s Miami sector calls a “maritime smuggling event.”

On Monday, December 6, 2022, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas  announced the extension of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti for 18 months

FANM Leads Rally at USCIS Miami Office to Stop All Deportations to HaitiMIAMI – On Wednesday, December 7th, 2022, Family Action Network Movement, elected officials and community leaders gather outside of USCIS in Miami calling the Biden Administration to reevaluate the current conditions of Haiti and urgently redesignate TPS for the over 50,000 undocumented Haitians nationals living in the United States. The rally will take place starting at 11:00 AM ET at USCIS Miami 8801 NW 7th Ave, Miami. Despite this crisis, the Biden Administration continues to deport and expel Black immigrants to Haiti in complete denial of their basic rights of due process. Family Action Network Movement (FANM) strongly condemns these illegal deportations and urges President Biden to redesignate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti. Redesignate TPS for Haiti.

The U.S Coast Guard was on scene as officials intercepted a sailboat containing more than 75 migrants at a Lake Worth inlet on Saturday night, authorities said.

Amid soaring violence, the community recently appointed local residents as guards, but the mayor said they were overpowered by gangs with machine guns.

A mayor in Haiti tells The Associated Press that at least 12 people have been killed and numerous homes set on fire in a community near the country’s capital as gangs fight to control more territory

The on-going crisis in Haiti just keeps getting worse.

UNICEF officials say a cholera outbreak sweeping through Haiti is claiming a growing number of children amid a surge in malnutrition

UNICEF officials say a cholera outbreak sweeping through Haiti is claiming a growing number of children amid a surge in malnutrition.

Multiple agencies responded Monday night after a migrant vessel with more than 100 people onboard from Haiti attempted to make landfall in Islamorada.

At least 22 migrants from Haiti have been rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard and an undetermined amount of others are still aboard a boat in bitter weather, hours after a good Samaritan reported the crowded vessel to officials Monday.

Haitian officials expect cholera cases in the country to rise now that the two-month fuel blockade has come to an end. Officials in the country need more resources to fight the illness.

The Inter American Press Association says an eighth journalist has been killed in Haiti this year

The U.S. is offering a $3 million reward for information leading to the arrest of three men who are accused of leading gangs in Haiti that engage in kidnapping.

Haiti is in the grips of a humanitarian crisis not seen in decades. Violent gangs have forced the country into lockdown for weeks. Local 10 anchor Calvin Hughes sat down exclusively with Haiti’s former prime minister to discuss solutions for a nation that seems to be on the brink of collapse.

Haiti’s National Police has been fighting to remove a powerful gang that surrounded a key fuel terminal in Port-au-Prince for almost two months — though it’s not immediately clear if the blockade has been fully lifted

By Jacqueline Charles and Jay WeaverHe was born in Broward County to a troubled mother who lost permanent custody due to mental health struggles. His father, back in Haiti, was not in the picture. Urged on by the Florida Department of Children & Families, a circuit court judge has ruled that 9-months old Ector — by birthright an American citizen — should be sent to Haiti to be with his maternal grandmother, who lives in a mountainous region and has no steady income. He could be sent to Haiti any day despite the concerns of his foster parents, who have struggled in their legal effort to keep him here. “He has the right to clean water, and he has the right to not starve.”

Haiti’s National Police are investigating the death of a journalist who witnesses said was struck in the head by a police tear gas canister

Haiti’s National Police says it's been ordered to launch an investigation into the death of a journalist who witnesses say was struck in the head by a police tear gas canister.

The U.N.’s International Organization for Migration says gang violence has forced some 96,000 people to flee their homes in Haiti’s capital as the country faces a crisis that has prompted the government to request foreign troops.

Officials say a well-known Haitian journalist has survived an assassination attempt that left his car riddled with bullets in the capital of Port-au-Prince.

The World Health Organization and its partners are recommending that countries temporarily switch to using a single dose of the cholera vaccine instead of two due to a global supply shortage.

Almost 100 people, mostly from Haiti, who were rescued from an overcrowded boat off the Florida coast had no food or water for two days, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

The passengers told Coast Guard crew members that they had been at sea for a week and lacked food and water during the last two days.

U.S. Border Patrol agents released new images from a migrant landing in the Florida Keys.

Almost 100 people, mostly from Haiti, who were rescued from an overcrowded boat off the Florida coast had no food or water for two days, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. A Coast Guard helicopter spotted the 96 Haitians, as well as a passenger each from Uganda and the Bahamas, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) east of Boca Raton, Florida, last week. The passengers told Coast Guard crew members that they had been at sea for a week and lacked food and water during the last two days.

A woman from Haiti who had a 16-pound facial tumor removed in Miami when she was just a girl is back in town.

Senior U.S. officials say the U.S. government will revoke visas from current and former Haitian government officials involved with criminal organizations

Ryan, whose acting career spanned more than six decades, was a few days away from her 95th birthday.

The United Nations is proposing a “humanitarian corridor” in Haiti’s capital to help people get gasoline and aid amid a mounting crisis as gangs keep blockading roads and access to some areas, including to one key fuel terminal in Port-au-Prince

The United Nations is proposing a “humanitarian corridor” in Haiti’s capital to help people get gasoline and aid amid a mounting crisis as gangs keep blockading roads and access to some areas, including to one key fuel terminal in Port-au-Prince.

The communication company, THELAR Management Group is hosting a black tie Gala on Saturday September, 24th 2022 at 6pm

Political instability, natural disasters and an unfathomable amount of violence continue to ravage the people of Haiti.

Haiti’s National Police says it is investigating the recent slaying of three officers that it blames on gang members

Haiti’s National Police says it is investigating the recent slaying of three officers that it blames on gang members.

Mark Selleck gave a group of resilient soccer players from Haiti the VIP treatment on Monday in Davie.

In the fight for democracy, coaxing despots into a cushy exile may sometimes be the most realistic option.

Federal agents responded to “multiple” migrant landings in Key West Monday morning, a top official with the U.S. Border Patrol said.

Coast Guard Cutter Robert Yered and Coast Guard Cutter Diligence intercepted the sailboat about 29 miles south of Cay Sal Bank, Bahamas.

A soccer field that was paid for but never built.

Famed rapper Kodak Black is making a major donation to help the troubled country of Haiti.

David and Jonathan Tamen have more in common than just their DNA. The Miami Beach twins share a passion for technology and improving the quality of life of those in need.

Bahamian authorities said Tuesday that they have detained 111 Haitian migrants found on an overloaded sloop in waters around the archipelago.

A couple thousand protesters have marched through Haiti’s capital and other major cities, blocking roads and shutting down businesses to demand that Prime Minister Ariel Henry step down and call for a better quality of life

Thousands of protesters have marched through Haiti’s capital and other major cities, blocking roads and shutting down businesses to demand that Prime Minister Ariel Henry step down and call for a better quality of life.

There has been a recent increase in firearm and ammunition smuggling from the United States to Haiti, federal officials reported on Wednesday during a news conference in Miami-Dade County.

After caring for the infant for five years, a Texas State University student, 27, who discovered a baby boy in a trash can and covered in ants while on vacation in Haiti has announced that he is adopting the child.

Heavy gunfire is echoing throughout downtown Port-au-Prince in Haiti as suspected gang members set a church on fire and try to kill their opponents in a bid to gain control over more territory

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Hundreds of children and adults sheltered at a high school in Haiti's capital Saturday after fleeing shooting in a neighborhood where fighting between two rival gangs in recent weeks has caused dozens of deaths and destroyed homes. Francisco Seriphin, general coordinator for the religious community group Kizito, said 315 people had taken refuge in the Saint-Louis de Gonzague school, which is in the Delmas district neighboring the violence-wracked Cite Soleil neighborhood.

Local officials in Haiti say dozens of people have died in four days of gang battles in a violent neighborhood of the capital

Tony Laubach reports from Fergus Falls, Minnesota, where rain and hail are already impacting the area, as he waits for what tonight holds.

Joly Germine, a leader of the gang, had previously been charged with conspiracy to commit kidnapping​.

An official says at least eight inmates have died at an overcrowded prison in Haiti that ran out of food two months ago