There are over 730,000 Haitian immigrants residing in the US.

Haiti recently declared a state of emergency and imposed a nighttime curfew following after armed gangs raided the country's two largest prisons, leading to the escape of thousands of inmates. The airport was also attacked.

Jimmy Chérizier, a former elite police officer known as Barbecue, now runs a gang federation and has claimed responsibility for the surge in attacks. He said the goal is to capture Haiti's police chief and government ministers and prevent Prime Minister Ariel Henry's return. Henry is refusing calls to resign over delays in elections, which haven't happened in over a decade. The previous leader. Jovenel Moise, was assassinated in 2021, which some critics linked to the country's COVID vaccine hesitancy. Chérizier admitres former Haitian dictoator Jean-Claude Duvalier, aka Baby Doc.

Gangs were estimated to control up to 80% of Port-au-Prince, the capital. They are organized and even targeted the Central Bank.

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