President Donald Trump recently signed an executive order implementing a travel ban impacting individuals from a dozen countries, including Haiti.
This new restriction has brought immediate concern among Haitian immigrants and advocates, particularly in locations like Brockton, Massachusetts, which is home to a significant Haitian community.
Teddy Mombrun, a former physician who immigrated from Haiti in 2020, expressed that this travel ban will make it nearly impossible for his family members and friends in Haiti to join him in the United States.
“It’s very horrible because I have friends, I have people, I have family who used to try to come with their visa. Since that, they would no longer be able to come,” Mombrun stated.
He further elaborated on the challenges faced by Haitians, citing rampant gang violence and severe economic struggles that drive the need for immigration to safer countries like the U.S.
The travel ban is set to take effect at midnight on Monday, a measure rooted in a previous executive order from January.
This earlier order mandated that government agencies evaluate “hostile attitudes” toward the U.S. to determine if certain countries posed national security risks.
Marvin Mathelier, the executive director of the Toussaint L’Ouverture Cultural Center in Boston, voiced his dismay at the ban, feeling it sends a stark message of isolation toward Haiti.
“The message that we are seeing is that the U.S. does not stand with Haiti,” Mathelier remarked.
He lamented the ongoing hardships in Haiti, stating, “We’re isolating them and we’re just watching that country continue to be in a situation that it is in today — and it’s unfair.”
Many advocates echoed Mathelier’s sentiment, expressing outrage over the perceived targeting of Haitian immigrants under President Trump’s administration.
Boston City Council President Ruthzee Louijeune, who is the first Haitian American city councilor, commented on the discriminatory nature of the ban.
She noted that her office has been inundated with concerns from constituents, many of whom are unsure whether they can safely return to their country of origin due to these new travel restrictions.
“It’s going to be a lot of chaos and confusion,” Louijeune stated during an interview with GBH News.
Several organizations that serve Haitians, especially those with Temporary Protected Status and humanitarian parole, predict that this travel ban will significantly affect their communities.
Jeff Thielman, CEO of the International Institute of New England, highlighted that more than 90% of their clients hail from nations included in the travel ban, with Haiti being particularly affected.
“The Travel Ban is a devastating and cruel decision that betrays our nation’s legacy of providing humanitarian assistance to vulnerable people in need around the world,” Thielman asserted.
He contested the administration’s justification for the ban, arguing that those seeking to emigrate are often escaping persecution and violence, not posing security threats.
Thielman expressed deep concern over the ban’s emotional and practical implications, especially regarding the separation of families that have already endured long periods of separation.
“The individuals seeking to leave these nations are doing so to save their lives and their families,” he said, emphasizing the humanitarian aspect of immigration.
Louijeune underscored the importance of community solidarity in these challenging times.
“It’s even more incumbent upon us to show up, to protest, to rally and to make sure that we’re standing in solidarity with the most vulnerable among us,” she stated.
In light of the ban, Mathelier called for a unified response from the Haitian community.
“Community matters now more than ever. It has to be all hands on deck,” he stressed.
He urged Haitian nonprofits to collaborate and strategize ways to support both the diaspora and those remaining in Haiti during these unsettled times.
“How do we go ahead and do that in the most optimal and efficient way? I think that’s the question that needs to be addressed right now,” Mathelier concluded.
image source from：https://www.wgbh.org/news/politics/2025-06-05/bostons-haitian-community-on-edge-after-trump-bans-travel-from-their-country
