The U.S. Embassy in the Dominican Republic and Haiti reiterated the maximum alert they issued to their citizens “not to travel” to Haiti, given the border closure arranged by the Dominican Government due to the construction of an irrigation canal intended to divert waters from the Masacre River.
“Haiti’s travel warning is level 4, ‘Do Not Travel,’ which means that any U.S. citizens still in Haiti should immediately depart as safely as possible via commercial means. Flights from Haiti to the United States and destinations other than the Dominican Republic continue to operate normally,” they reiterated.
They indicated that the U.S. Embassy cannot facilitate entry into the Dominican Republic through a closed border crossing, so citizens still in Haiti should make alternative arrangements to leave.
“U.S. citizens should not travel to Haiti due to kidnappings, crime, civil unrest, and poor health care infrastructure,” reiterates.
On July 27, 2023, the State Department ordered the departure of family members of U.S. government employees and non-emergency U.S. government employees.
“U.S. citizens wishing to leave Port-au-Prince should be attentive to local news and only do so when it is deemed safe,” they explained.
Faced with the Haitians’ refusal to stop the canal’s construction, President Luis Abinader announced the closure of the entire border at 6:00 a.m. this Friday, September 15, by sea, land, and air.