International

The troubled Caribbean country, Haiti, has fielded two athletes for the Milan Cortina Winter Games, and they will proudly wear Haitian symbols — although one less than intended after intervention by the International Olympic Committee. The skiers will compete in uniforms designed by Italian-Haitian designer Stella Jean that originally featured an image of Toussaint Louverture, the former slave who led a revolution that created the world’s first Black republic in 1804. The IOC ruled that the image violated Olympic rules barring political symbolism, requiring Jean to come up with a creative solution: painting over the nation’s founding father.

A federal judge on Monday blocked the Trump administration from ending temporary protections that have allowed roughly 350,000 Haitians to live and work in the U.S. U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes in Washington granted to pause the termination of temporary protected status for Haitians while a lawsuit challenging it proceeds. The TPS designation for people from the Caribbean island country was scheduled to end on Feb. 3.

Haiti’s democratic politics have weakened as gang rule has strengthened. The country has had no elected national officials since January 2023. A Transitional Presidential Council holds nominal executive authority. Its mandate ends on February 7, 2026, with no clear succession plan and no elected president in place. The provisional electoral calendar points to a first round later in 2026 and a presidential inauguration in 2027. Even this timeline feels optimistic. 

En Haïti, les gangs contrôlent aujourd'hui environ 85% de Port-au-Prince. Se rendre dans la capitale ou en partir est devenu quasi mission impossible, surtout par les airs. Plus aucune compagnie ne dessert la ville en raison de l'insécurité. Pour le personnel humanitaire, il ne reste qu'un moyen de transport jugé relativement sûr : la navette en hélicoptère assurée par l'UNHAS, le service aérien des Nations unies. Elle relie Port-au-Prince à la deuxième ville du pays, Cap-Haïtien.

The U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince advises U.S. citizens of ongoing security operations north and south of the embassy and in Croix-de-Bouquets. Heavy gunfire is reported in the area. U.S. government personnel have halted all movements. The embassy remains open for emergency services.