What was supposed to be a routine ICE deportation flight to Haiti turned into a logistical crisis for Haitian officials Thursday.
Global X Flight 6122 departed Alexandria, Louisiana, at 7:34 a.m. and was originally expected to reach Cap-Haïtien around 12:22 p.m. Instead, after hours of unexplained delays at South Florida’s Opa-locka Executive Airport, the aircraft finally departed at 5:10 p.m., landing in Haiti at 7:05 p.m. — after sunset and during heavy rain.
The delay meant deportees reportedly spent more than 13 hours in shackles, not counting their time in the air.
But the flight’s timing wasn’t the only surprise.
Haitian officials had prepared to receive 71 people. When the manifest changed, more than two dozen additional detainees were added, bringing the total to 98.
The sudden increase left Haiti’s Office of National Migration scrambling to arrange transportation, food, lodging and financial assistance. Officials had planned to increase assistance from roughly $80 to $200 per deportee, but the unexpected arrivals left them without enough funds to provide the higher amount to everyone.
By the time the aircraft landed, many airport employees had already gone home.
Despite the chaos, Haitian officials welcomed the returnees with a band playing the patriotic anthem “Ayiti Cherie,” provided hot meals and began screening passengers with police.
The situation became particularly concerning because some deportees were not from Cap-Haïtien. They could face difficult journeys across a country where armed gangs control major roads and where kidnappings and killings remain serious threats.
Among those aboard were reportedly a person with medical issues and a mother traveling with what appeared to be a newborn baby.
The flight was also the fourth deportation since U.S. authorities increased the frequency of Haiti deportation flights from monthly to weekly.
Human-rights and immigrant advocates have sharply criticized the handling of the deportations, particularly the lack of advance coordination, late changes to passenger manifests and the risks faced by people arriving in Haiti after dark.
Source: Miami Herald
