Overview:
Haitian political determine André Michel was blocked from boarding a Cap-Haïtien–Miami flight by U.S. border brokers. The subsequent day, he declared his candidacy for president, pledging to battle gangs and restore nationwide sovereignty.
CAP-HAÏTIEN — Embattled Haitian politician and lawyer André Michel introduced July 27 on X that he’ll run for president within the subsequent elections, hours after being denied entry to a flight certain for Miami, Florida.
“I announce my presidential ambitions for the following elections,” Michel posted. “I’ll perform a political venture wherein I’ll give attention to safety, financial and social improvement, and nationwide sovereignty. Eliminating these armed gangs is my first precedence! We’ll destroy the gangs!”
J’annonce mes ambitions présidentielles pour les prochaines élections. Je porterai un projet politique axé sur la sécurité,le développement économique et Social,la souveraineté Nationale.L’élimination des gangs armés est ma première priorité! Nou pa nan Dyalòg ak Gang!
— Me. André Michel (@avokapepla) July 27, 2025
Michel’s journey points started on July 26, when U.S. Customs and Border Safety (CBP) allegedly barred him from boarding a Cap-Haïtien–Miami flight. A Dawn Airways supply— who requested anonymity to keep away from being within the political highlight— confirmed the denial to The Haitian Instances however emphasised that the airline had no data of the explanation and doesn’t preserve a listing of politicians with revoked visas.
Rumors circulated on-line that Michel was a part of a visa revocation checklist held by Dawn on account of alleged ties to Haiti’s instability. Nevertheless, the Haiti-based airline dismissed these stories as false.
In accordance with completely different native media stories, Dawn Airways knowledgeable Michel that his U.S. visa had been canceled primarily based on directions acquired from U.S. Customs. He was not even allowed to cross by immigration on the Cap-Haïtien airport.
This isn’t the primary time Michel’s U.S. visa has been revoked. He confronted an analogous ban in April 2015. Likewise, a number of different Haitian political figures have had their visas canceled by U.S. authorities up to now, solely to have them reinstated later with out transparency or clarification.
U.S. authorities launched the fees in opposition to Pierre Réginald Boulos, accusing him of concealing political actions and gang-linked violence that has destabilized Haiti
The longtime activist lawyer rose to prominence on Haiti’s political scene throughout the decade (2011-2021) of the Tèt Kale political occasion (PHTK) regime. He performed a central position in a number of high-profile authorized instances involving authorities officers and was one of many main voices of opposition and mobilization in opposition to the administrations of each Michel Martelly and Jovenel Moïse.
Nevertheless, the favored assist he as soon as constructed because the self-styled “avoka pèp la” or “individuals’s lawyer” shortly began to erode when he joined Ariel Henry’s transitional authorities after Moise’s assassination. He turned certainly one of Henry’s most vocal supporters—even because the latter’s administration struggled to satisfy essentially the most fundamental wants of Haitians because the gang-fueled insecurity local weather worsened. Since then, Michel has confronted robust criticism from many Haitians, particularly on social media, the place he usually shares his views on present affairs.
Criticism and accusations of fueling destabilization in Haiti for self-interest
Many have criticized him for his position in Haiti’s political turbulence. He was usually on the heart of turmoil and violent anti-government protests within the early 2020s and is steadily accused—with out proof—of hyperlinks to Moïse’s 2021 assassination.
On July 25, Michel took to X to reject these accusations and shift the blame towards members of Moïse’s inside circle.
“Cease doing politics with Jovenel Moïse’s corpse,” he wrote. “The assassins have been behind Jovenel; they have been subsequent to him. André Michel’s phrases didn’t kill Jovenel. Why are Martine Moïse [the late president’s wife], Léon Charles [former police chief], and Dimitri Herard [former palace security chief] hiding from the justice system?”
The Haitian lawyer’s journey denial got here lower than every week after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested businessman and political determine Pierre Réginald Boulos in Florida, accusing him of immigration fraud and gang ties. Boulos, who had additionally been linked to Moïse’s assassination, was discovered to have omitted founding a political occasion on his residency software. He’s now going through deportation.
Following Boulos’s arrest, Moïse’s son, Jovenel Moïse, cryptically posted “Ti pa, ti pa” (“Step-by-step”) on social media—fueling hypothesis that extra arrests have been imminent.
𝙏𝙞 𝙥𝙖, 𝙏𝙞 𝙥𝙖…
— Joverlein Moïse (@joverleinmo) July 19, 2025
These actions come amid a broader crackdown by the Trump administration on Haitian nationals and elites allegedly concerned in Haiti’s ongoing violence. Along with Boulos and Michel’s instances, no less than 4 deportation flights have left the U.S. in current weeks, and dozens of undocumented Haitians have been detained.
On July 21, the State Division introduced it might deport anybody, together with lawful everlasting residents, discovered to be supporting gangs or prison networks in Haiti.
Michel beforehand ran for president in 2015, incomes lower than 0.1% of the vote. Regardless of his low exhibiting, he stays a controversial and visual determine in Haitian politics.
As Haiti prepares for elections which can be speculated to be held earlier than Feb. 7, 2026, Michel’s candidacy—and the current strikes by U.S. authorities—sign that political tensions, worldwide scrutiny and questions of accountability will stay entrance and heart.