On Thursday, September 10, 2026, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) deportation flight carrying Haitian migrants descended into chaos after multiple avoidable disruptions left dozens of repatriated people subjected to inhumane treatment and overwhelmed Haitian migration authorities scrambling to provide basic support. What was supposed to be a scheduled midday arrival at Cap-Haitien’s Hugo Chávez International Airport turned into a 7-hour delayed landing after sunset, in the middle of torrential rain, and long after all Haitian government offices had closed for the day.
The journey of these migrants began at 7:34 a.m. when Global X charter flight 6122 first departed Alexandria, Louisiana, headed for a stopover in South Florida. What followed was hours of unexplained holding at Opa-locka airport, with the plane only departing for Haiti at 5:10 p.m. It finally touched down in Cap-Haitien at 7:05 p.m. Compounding this delay was the fact that all 98 deportees on board had been kept in shackles for more than 13 hours before they even landed, a period that does not include their total flight time.
In addition to the unanticipated delay, ICE violated pre-existing agreements with Haiti’s National Migration Office (ONM) by adding 27 extra deportees to the flight without any prior notification, pushing the total number of returnees from the planned 71 to 98. The sudden increase stretched the ONM’s already tight operating budget to breaking point, turning what should have been a standard reception process into an arduous, underfunded emergency.
Prior to this flight, Haitian authorities had planned to increase the standard reentry assistance stipend for deportees from the longstanding $80 to $200 per person, to help returnees cover travel and basic living costs after arriving back in Haiti. But the unplanned surge in numbers, paired with the late-hour arrival, left the agency without enough funding to deliver the increased stipend or even cover temporary accommodation for the group.
Jean Négot Bonheur Delva, Director General of the ONM, explained the structural issues created by ICE’s disregard for agreed protocols. “The cut-off time for receiving a plane is 1:00 or 2:00 PM, as it takes us two to three hours to provide assistance to these migrants. In Haiti, we work from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM,” Delva said in a media statement.
Despite the severe logistical challenges and poor weather, Haitian on-ground staff managed to provide all 98 returnees with a hot meal and the official documentation forwarded by U.S. authorities. The group of returnees included a diverse cross-section of people with longstanding ties to the U.S.: 15 had entered the country through the Biden administration’s humanitarian parole program, dozens were active asylum seekers, one was a legal U.S. green card holder, and 50 had been residing in the U.S. under Temporary Protected Status (TPS). Two young children were also on the flight: a 3-year-old U.S. citizen and a 6-year-old born in Brazil.
Delva confirmed that mobilized ONM staff did not finish processing all deportees and leave the airport until after 2:00 a.m. the next day. “This has a cost,” Delva emphasized, noting that the agency also incurred unexpected costs for emergency bus requisition to transport the group. “It’s a problem for us; it’s demoralizing.”
The September 10 flight is part of a recent surge in ICE deportations of Haitian nationals from the United States, following the termination of Haiti’s TPS designation, according to prior reporting on the ongoing repatriation operation.