State Department Planning Charter Flight for Americans from Haiti but Warns Trip to Airport Is Dangerous
The State Department on Saturday announced it was arranging a charter flight for U.S. citizens stuck in Haiti departing from Cap-Haïtien International Airport, but warned that they would have to get to the airport on their own and that the nearly six-hour drive from Port-au-Prince is “dangerous.”
“We are arranging a charter flight for U.S. citizens with valid U.S. passports from Cap-Haitien to the U.S. Travel to Cap-Haitien is conducted at your own risk,” the State Department’s X account posted.
Haiti: We are arranging a charter flight for U.S. citizens with valid U.S. passports from Cap-Haitien to the U.S. Travel to Cap-Haitien is conducted at your own risk. If you are interested in this flight, fill out our intake form (https://t.co/bRo87JkOsI). https://t.co/qzBjoYDrM8 pic.twitter.com/ItUfaVaeAD
— Travel – State Dept (@TravelGov) March 16, 2024
It added in a security alert posted to its website that the flight depended on whether or not the security situation in Cap-Haïtien remained stable, and noted:
The overland trip from Port-au-Prince to Cap-Haitien is dangerous. We recommend you consider the Cap-Haitien flight only if you believe you can reach Cap-Haitien airport safely. We cannot provide overland travel from other parts of Haiti to Cap-Haitien. We continue to work on options for departures out of Port-au-Prince and will let you know about them as soon as we are able to safely and securely arrange them.
It added:
The security situation in Haiti is unpredictable and dangerous. Travel within Haiti is conducted at your own risk. The U.S. government cannot guarantee your safety traveling to airports, borders, or during any onward travel. You should consider your personal security situation before traveling anywhere in Haiti. Only attempt to depart Haiti or travel within Haiti if you believe it is safe for you to do so.
It is not clear how many flights will be flown.
The alert added that U.S. citizens choosing to depart using “U.S. government coordinated flights” must sign a promissory note agreeing to reimburse the government for the flight.
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The State Department said Thursday it did not know how many Americans were in Haiti.
State Department Press Secretary Matthew Miller said:
I don’t have an estimate of how many Americans are on the ground in Haiti. That’s always a difficult information – always difficult information for the State Department to have a precise number on because most Americans when they travel to a country — and certainly one like Haiti where we have close ties and there are people that go back and forth — they don’t register with the United States, they don’t register with our embassy to tell us that they are there. So it’s impossible for us to know for sure.
He said there were at least several hundred Americans registered to receive information, but that was not an overall number of how many Americans were in the country.
Miller had also said there were no plans for any evacuation. It is unclear if the charter flight counts as an “evacuation.”
People walk past burning tires during a protest against Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on February 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)
He said on Thursday:
We always plan for all sorts of contingencies. But no, we are not planning for any — we are not actively planning for any evacuation. And I would remind you and others that Haiti has been a Level 4 country with respect to our Travel Advisory since 2020. So what that means is for four years we have been telling Americans do not go to Haiti; do not travel there, it’s not safe to do so; and for those who are there, leave as soon as you can feasibly do so without putting yourself at risk.
Saturday’s security alert also warned Americans not to travel to Haiti, and if they were already in Haiti, to avoid crowds and areas where violence, demonstrations or disruptions are reported by local media to be happening.
A protester reacts while tires burn in the street during a demonstration following the resignation of its Prime Minister Ariel Henry, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on March 12, 2024. (CLARENS SIFFROY/AFP via Getty Images)
“Keep a low profile,” it added. “Be aware of your surroundings. Be prepared to shelter in place for an extended time period. Avoid being outside after dark. Stay alert in areas frequented by foreign visitors. Review your personal security plans. Have travel documents up-to-date and easily accessible. Carry proper identification.”
Miller said the State Department was providing $33 million in humanitarian assistance to Haiti, an additional $300 million for a police force that Kenya would be launching in coming “days and weeks” known as the Multinational Security Support Mission. He said some of that money would be provided in transfers of equipment, logistics, and direct financial support. He said $200 million would come from the Pentagon, and $100 million from the State Department.
The Pentagon told Breitbart News on Thursday that no U.S. troops would be part of the police force.
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