Haitian migrants continue to attempt to cross into California over the U.S.-Mexico border, with the state experiencing heavier traffic among the demographic compared to states like Florida and Texas—the former of which is thousands of miles closer.
Perilous conditions continue in Haiti more than a month after armed gangs orchestrated jailbreaks from Haiti’s two largest prisons, resulting in more than 4,500 inmates escaping. Violence persists, and the government’s impact is minimal, with gangs estimated to control 80 percent of the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince.
According to data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, California border agents encountered 2,622 Haitians in March. This continues the trend of Haitian migration increasing month over month since the fiscal year began in October, with 8,901 crossings in that span.
The number of migrant encounters at the Golden State’s northern and southern borders totaled 2,220 in February, double the 1,109 encounters in January.
Photo-illustration by Newsweek/Getty
The total number of Haitian migrants encountered at the California border in the entire 2023 fiscal year was 13,641, a record. It represented an increase of more than 8,000 migrants compared to 2022 and more than 12,000 compared to 2021.
Haitians were encountered by federal agents at the U.S.-Mexico border approximately 53,900 times in fiscal year 2022 and more than 76,100 times in fiscal year 2023. Haitian migrants were the top nationality for migrants crossing the dangerous Darién Gap between Colombia and Panama, according to the Migration Policy Institute, remaining among the three largest groups in 2022 and 2023.
The trek to California by plane is approximately 2,962 miles while Haiti is only about 831 miles from the Florida coastline.
Haitian migration to Florida drastically dipped in March.
While Florida has been inundated this fiscal year, already surpassing 57,500 when there were 69,435 border encounters all of last year, data shows an 8,249-person month-over-month decrease between February and March. The 2,907 crossings in March are the fewest recorded this entire fiscal year.
The numbers in Texas also dropped month over month, from 8,894 to 6,602, though the most recent crossings number is still higher than the numbers in October and November.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, state sheriffs, and other law enforcement officials acted quickly once civil unrest erupted in Haiti.
DeSantis deployed over 250 additional officers and soldiers and over a dozen air and seacraft to the southern coast of Florida to protect the state.
He recently signed three bills to deter illegal immigration efforts, including enhancing penalties for crimes committed by deported persons who return to the U.S.
Longtime Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw, who currently chairs the regional domestic security task force in southeast Florida, told Newsweek that he routinely works with other regional police and sheriff departments to alleviate any domestic risks from illegal immigrants—including those from Haiti.
“With that responsibility [comes] the border and the ocean, and we’ve been vigilant about people getting into the U.S. from the ocean for quite some time,” Bradshaw said. “We’ve seen it ramp up since the Mexican border started heating up…We’re fully prepared with what is done at all times.”
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.