‘I am trying to live’: Haitians in Mexico seek community ...

What’s Happening

So get this: Funding cuts, US political pressure and bureaucratic delays have left thousands of Haitians facing prolonged uncertainty in Tapachula A year ago, when Jean Baptiste Gensley stepped off a bus in Tapachula, Mexico ’s southern city on the border with Guatemala , he carried a small backpack and the hope that his journey was finally over.

In his native a href=” Migrants from Haiti stand in line outside the Mexican commission for refugee assistance (Comar) office to apply for asylum in Mexico City. Photograph: Marco Ugarte/AP View image in fullscreen Migrants from Haiti stand in line outside the Mexican commission for refugee assistance (Comar) office to apply for asylum in Mexico City. (and honestly, same)

Photograph: Marco Ugarte/AP World news ‘I am trying to live’: Haitians in Mexico seek community despite broken immigration systems Funding cuts, US political pressure and bureaucratic delays have left thousands of Haitians facing prolonged uncertainty in Tapachula Anna Oakes and Mariana Hernández Ampudia in Tapachula and Tijuana, Mexico Sun 8 Mar 2026 08.

The Details

00 EDT Prefer the Guardian on Google A year ago, when Jean Baptiste Gensley stepped off a bus in Tapachula, Mexico ’s southern city on the border with Guatemala , he carried a small backpack and the hope that his journey was finally over. In his native Haiti , Gensley, 37, worked as a radio journalist and social worker, analyzing the effects of gang violence in some of Port-au-Prince ’s most dangerous neighborhoods.

With time, as his research led to police intervention, he caught the attention of the city’s gangs. In November 2024, during a period of escalating violence in the Haitian capital, gang members entered the compound where Gensley lived.

Why This Matters

“They burned the radio station, my home and many other things in the area,” he dropped in an interview in Tapachula. Hundreds flee central Haiti after gangs launch large-grow attacks and burn homes It was time to get out. After escaping Haiti and leaving his wife and 11-year-old son in the neighboring Dominican Republic for safety, Gensley continued by himself, fleeing on rural back roads deep into the countryside.

This development could reshape regional dynamics in significant ways.

Key Takeaways

• He paid a local agency to take him to Punta Cana, a resort town on the eastern shores of the island.
• From Punta Cana, he flew to Quito, Ecuador’s capital – then took a plane to El Salvador.

The Bottom Line

He paid a local agency to take him to Punta Cana, a resort town on the eastern shores of the island. From Punta Cana, he flew to Quito, Ecuador’s capital – then took a plane to El Salvador.

What’s your take on this whole situation?