Tag - haitian

The mandate of the Gang Suppression Force (GSF), currently in the deployment phase on Haitian soil, has been extended until March 31, 2027, after a resolution adopted Tuesday by the United Nations Security Council.⁠ ⁠ Twelve member states voted in favor of renewing the force’s mandate. None voted against. Three abstained: China, Pakistan, and the Russian Federation.⁠ ⁠ The extension also keeps in place the logistical and operational support provided by the United Nations Support Office in Haiti (UNSOH), which has been operational since April 2026.⁠ ⁠ The United States, which co-sponsored the resolution with Panama, pressed the Council to maintain momentum and continue deploying contingents. U.S. Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz said about 1,500 GSF personnel are now on the ground, with additional troops expected in the coming months.⁠ ⁠ Authorized as a multinational force not a UN peacekeeping mission the GSF is mandated to conduct coordinated operations with the Haitian National Police and the Haitian Armed Forces to combat armed groups, secure essential infrastructure, and support efforts to restore state authority.⁠ ⁠ The renewal comes as Haiti prepares for elections scheduled for December 13, 2026, its first in a decade, while gangs still control large parts of Port-au-Prince and other regions.⁠ ⁠ #lunionsuite #haitianamerican #haitian #culture #caribbean

Haiti returns to the field tonight to face the Dominican Republic in an important Concacaf Nations League matchup at Estadio Olímpico Félix Sánchez in Santo Domingo. Both teams enter tonight’s match with a perfect start. Haiti has six points after beating Trinidad and Tobago 3–2 and Costa Rica 2–0, while the Dominican Republic also has six points after victories over Nicaragua and Trinidad and Tobago. Curaçao is also on six points, making the battle at the top of Group A especially tight. For the Grenadiers, another strong result would be important in the race for one of Group A’s top two spots, which advance to the Nations League quarterfinals. After tonight, Haiti has one more match in this window, facing Costa Rica on Sunday, October 4, in San José. 🇭🇹 Haiti vs. Dominican Republic 🇩🇴 Tonight | 8:00 PM Haiti & South Florida time 📍 Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic Two wins down. Now the Grenadiers look to keep the momentum going. #lunionsuite #haitianamerican

Thousands of immigrants who are legally living in the United States could begin losing Medicaid coverage starting October 1 under new federal eligibility rules. The change comes from the federal budget law signed by President Donald Trump in 2025. It narrows the immigration categories that qualify for federally funded Medicaid and CHIP, affecting some refugees, people granted asylum and other humanitarian immigrants. But not every legal immigrant is losing coverage. Green card holders and several other groups remain eligible, depending on income and other requirements. For the Haitian community, there is an important exception: people who meet the federal definition of a Cuban or Haitian entrant remain eligible for federally funded Medicaid. This does not mean every Haitian immigrant automatically qualifies, since a person’s specific immigration status and other eligibility requirements still matter. Recent state data also suggest the immediate impact could be significant. More than 281,000 immigrants across nine states and Washington, D.C. were expected to lose Medicaid coverage in October, including nearly 177,000 people identified in Florida. #lunionsuite #haitianamerican

The Haitian-American community is mourning the sudden loss of Stephan “Big Boy” Clermont, a beloved barber known to clients and followers as @bigboyyy_cuts, who died Monday following a car accident. He was 28.⁠ ⁠ Family members say Clermont was deeply loved by relatives, friends, the people who sat in his chair, and the wider community that knew him through his work. His cousin reached out to L’Union Suite asking that his story be shared not only as a tribute, but also as a caution.⁠ ⁠ “Our family would also like his story to bring awareness to the dangers of driving while tired or sleepy,” the cousin wrote. “Drowsy driving can have devastating consequences, and we hope his story can encourage someone to recognize the danger, pull over, rest, and not take that risk.”⁠ ⁠ L’Union Suite featured Clermont last year after one of his videos went viral. In the clip, shared on our page in October 2025, he speaks in Haitian Creole with the kind of timing and energy that made the internet stop and laugh with him. The post, tagged with @bigboyyy_cuts and @Arnoldflows, captured what so many already knew in person: he had presence.⁠ ⁠ That clip was one moment. The fuller picture, according to those closest to him, was a young Haitian-American man who built a following behind the chair and left people feeling seen.⁠ ⁠ His family is still gathering details and photos and has offered to provide additional information to honor him properly. Funeral and memorial arrangements had not been publicly confirmed at the time of this writing.⁠ ⁠ If you are reading this after a long day, a late shift, or a night that ran longer than planned: pull over. Rest. The chair will still be there. The people who love you need you to arrive.⁠ ⁠ L’Union Suite extends condolences to Stephan’s family, friends, clients, and everyone who knew Big Boy. May his memory be a blessing — and may the warning his family is asking us to carry save a life.

Estephanie Charles is still standing in Bangkok.⁠ ⁠ Haiti’s official representative at the 14th Miss Grand International pageant has advanced to Round 2 of the competition’s public “Country’s Power of the Year” vote, one of the few early scoreboard results that can still put a delegate on a fast track to the Top 20.⁠ ⁠ Charles took part in the official welcome ceremony and press conference on Sept. 23 at the Grand Richmond Stylish Convention Hotel. The grand final remains Oct. 10 at MGI Hall in Bangkok, where reigning titleholder Emma Tiglao of the Philippines is expected to crown her successor.⁠ ⁠ Charles is now in Group D. Only the top two contestants in each group move on. This round of voting closes Sept. 30 at 5 p.m. Thailand time. The eventual Country Power winner receives an automatic place in the Top 20 on coronation night.⁠ ⁠ Closed-door interviews are set for Oct. 4. National costume and the preliminary competition are scheduled for Oct. 7. The coronation is Oct. 10.⁠ ⁠ Miss Grand International’s signature campaign is “Stop the War and Violence.” Charles has not treated that line as decoration. Coming from Haiti and having lived among different cultures, she has written that she has seen how violence tears through families, especially women and children. For her, the campaign is a call for peace, empathy, respect, unity, dialogue, compassion, and a future that does not repeat the same damage.⁠ ⁠ Source: @mannequinat_affaires @misshaiticaraibes @missgrandfamily⁠ #lunionsuite #haitianamerican #haitian

Haitian businessman Gilbert Bigio, founder of the GB Group conglomerate and long described as one of Haiti’s wealthiest private-sector figures, died Tuesday, September 29, in Florida at the age of 91. Funeral services are scheduled for Thursday, October 1, in Hollywood, Florida. Circumstances of his death were not publicly detailed. Born around 1935 into a Sephardic Jewish family originally from Aleppo, Syria, Bigio belonged to a lineage that settled in Haiti in 1896 and built commercial interests over generations. He became the de facto leader of Haiti’s small Jewish community and served for years as honorary consul of Israel; his son Reuven later held the same honorary post. His wife is Monique Bigio. Bigio founded GB Group in 1972, beginning with Aciérie d’Haïti (Haitian Steelworks). By the 1980s the steel operation controlled nearly all commercial steel in the country. The group then expanded into construction materials, consumer goods, edible oils (Huileries Haïtiennes), energy and fuel (including GB Energy and former Texaco operations in the Dominican Republic), telecommunications, real estate, banking, logistics, and infrastructure. Port Lafito, a major private port project in Haiti’s West Department, was among its signature investments. In recent years the group adopted a new identity as B|G|O (Builders of Great Opportunities). For decades Bigio was routinely called Haiti’s first billionaire and one of the richest men in the Caribbean. He operated largely behind the scenes while the family network remained one of the country’s largest private-sector groups. His later years were marked by international sanctions. On December 2, 2022, Canada imposed economic sanctions on Bigio, along with Reynold Deeb and Sherif Abdallah, under its Haiti-related Special Economic Measures. Bigio remained listed; no Haitian or Canadian criminal conviction was reported in connection with those allegations. The United States had previously sanctioned him and family members in the early 1990s over alleged support for the military regime that ousted President Jean-Bertrand Aristide; those U.S. measures were later lifted. He is survived by his wife and children.#lunionsuite

Former Haitian First Lady Martine Moïse took the stand Tuesday as the first witness in the federal trial of Haitian-American pastor Christian Emmanuel Sanon, who is accused of helping orchestrate the July 7, 2021, assassination of her husband, President Jovenel Moïse. “I am here today to demand justice for Jo. He wanted a better country. Unfortunately, that’s how it ended. I want all those who did this to go to prison,” Moïse told the court. Questioned by prosecutors about the night of July 6–7, 2021, she answered a series of questions about the attack at the couple’s private residence in Pèlerin 5, above Port-au-Prince. She also named individuals she said should be called to testify, including former Director General of the Haitian National Police (PNH) Léon Charles. Sanon, 67, a dual Haitian-American citizen and pastor who lived in South Florida, has pleaded not guilty to charges that include conspiracy to kill or kidnap a person outside the United States. If convicted, he faces life in prison. The trial is being held before U.S. District Judge Jacqueline Becerra in Miami’s federal courthouse. A jury of 12 plus four alternates was selected Monday. U.S. prosecutors allege Sanon helped recruit participants, raise money, and arrange travel and lodging as part of a plot that originated in South Florida and culminated in the armed assault that killed President Moïse and wounded Martine Moïse. Sanon was arrested in Haiti days after the killing; a search of his home turned up boxes of ammunition, 19 passports, and other items. He was transferred to U.S. custody in early 2023. Four co-defendants were convicted earlier this year in a separate Miami trial and face life sentences. Sanon’s case was severed due to health issues and is proceeding separately. Prosecutors have listed 58 potential witnesses, including cooperating defendants already sentenced, FBI analysts, forensic experts, and Martine Moïse. President Jovenel Moïse, 53, was shot multiple times in his bedroom after armed men stormed the residence in the early morning hours of July 7, 2021. Martine Moïse survived the attack. The trial is expected to last several weeks. #lunionsuite #haitianamerican

Why are you single? #lunionsuite #haitianamerican #ad The sales pitch #lunionsuite #haitianamerican #ad Too late for singles #lunionsuite #haitianamerican #ad What did the chicken do??? #lunionsuite #haitianamerican #ad

In his first on-camera statement since the Lindsay Clancy mistrial, Michael Péguy Desronvil thanks supporters, credits his Catholic faith, and says the story should return to the children who cannot speak for themselves.⁠ ⁠ The lone holdout juror in the Lindsay Clancy murder trial has spoken on camera for the first time, and he is asking the country to stop centering him.⁠ ⁠ In a Fox News Hannity exclusive video circulating Tuesday, Michael Péguy Desronvil, identified in court coverage as the single juror who would not join an 11-1 vote for not guilty by reason of insanity introduced himself and immediately redirected the conversation.⁠ ⁠ “I know the whole focus has been on me, but we want to reel everything back and put the focus on the three angels that is beside hand,” he said. “The ones that can’t speak for themselves, the ones that can’t defend themselves, and the one that can’t fight the battles. And those are Cora, Dawson, and Callie.”⁠ ⁠ Cora, 5, Dawson, 3, and Callan, 8 months, were killed in their Duxbury, Massachusetts, home on January 24, 2023. Their mother, former labor-and-delivery nurse Lindsay Clancy, has admitted she strangled them. She pleaded not guilty to three counts of first-degree murder, arguing postpartum psychosis left her without criminal responsibility. After a weeks-long trial and about 38 hours of deliberations over seven days, Judge William Sullivan declared a mistrial on September 4. Plymouth County prosecutors have not yet announced whether they will retry the case. A status hearing is set for today.⁠ ⁠ Fellow jurors have given a different account of deliberations. Several said Desronvil at one point acknowledged doubt but still would not vote for an insanity acquittal. In a written statement released earlier this month through attorney Edward Paltzik, Desronvil disputed that. He said he “didn’t have any doubts,” that he was cut off when he tried to raise theories based on the evidence, and that physical evidence and witness testimony convinced him Clancy “knew exactly what she was doing and planned.”⁠ ⁠ Source: FOX News⁠ #lunionsuite #haitianamerican

#UPDATE: Maylon Foshee, the 23-year-old Louisiana man arrested and charged in federal court with sexually abusing three Haitian boys while doing missionary work in Haiti, was also a popular Kreyòl-speaking TikToker.⁠ ⁠ Foshee, of Mansfield, built a large following under the handle maylonfoshee. His public TikTok profile shows more than 100,000 followers and over 1.1 million likes. In videos, the blond creator often spoke directly to camera in Kreyòl, the same language that helped him move through communities in Haiti as a missionary.⁠ ⁠ That dual identity is now at the center of an unfolding federal case.⁠ ⁠ According to newly unsealed court documents, Foshee is accused of engaging in sexual conduct with three boys, all 14 at the time, during trips to Haiti from 2023 to 2025. Investigators say he worked closely with children, helped them attend school, and housed some of them in his home there. At least two of the boys told authorities they were living with him because of trouble at home. One said Foshee was paying for his schooling, that the abuse lasted months, and that he was afraid Foshee would scream at him and sometimes beat him with a belt.⁠ ⁠ FBI agents said they first learned of the allegations from other people doing similar work in Haiti after children described what had happened. After rumors spread, Foshee left a voicemail claiming that except for one encounter he started, the others “came onto” him and that he had “fixed the problem.”⁠ ⁠ A federal court ordered him into the custody of the U.S. Marshals. He was being held at the Bossier Parish Jail pending a detention hearing in Shreveport. The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Louisiana. He is represented by the Federal Public Defender’s office. The charges have not been proven in court.⁠ ⁠ For many in the Haitian community, that combination is the story. A foreign missionary who speaks the language and posts for a large audience can look familiar, even trusted. Popularity is not protection. Fluency is not a character reference. ⁠ ⁠ #lunionsuite #haitianamerican

A 23-year-old Louisiana man has been charged in federal court with sexually abusing three Haitian boys while working as a missionary in Haiti, according to newly unsealed court documents. Maylon Foshee of Mansfield is accused of engaging in sexual conduct with the boys, all 14 at the time of the alleged abuse, during trips to Haiti between 2023 and 2025. Investigators say he worked closely with children, helped them attend school, and housed some of them in his home there. At least two of the boys told authorities they were living with him because of problems at home; one said Foshee was paying for his schooling. The same victim said he wanted Foshee to stop but could not, and that he was afraid of the missionary, who would scream at him and sometimes beat him with a belt. FBI agents said they first learned of the allegations from other people doing work in Haiti who reported that several children had described inappropriate sexual contact. In a voicemail after rumors began circulating, Foshee claimed that except for one instance he initiated, the others “came onto” him and that he had “fixed the problem.” Foshee was ordered into U.S. Marshals custody and is being held at the Bossier Parish Jail pending a detention hearing. The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Louisiana. He is represented by the Federal Public Defender’s office. This is not an isolated case. This month, former Ohio missionary Jeriah Mast pleaded guilty in federal court to sexually abusing 2 minors in Haiti after years of mission trips, including work with Christian Aid Ministries. He had previously admitted to authorities that he molested about 30 children in Haiti between roughly 2003 & 2019. Haitian children living in poverty, displacement, or family crisis remain among the most vulnerable. When foreigners control housing, school fees, & daily access, the power imbalance is extreme. Advocates argue that prevention requires more than prosecutions: stronger vetting & oversight of mission and aid groups, independent reporting channels and an end to the assumption that good intentions or religious language equal safety. #lunionsuite

A new federal rule could change which college programs qualify for federal student loans and it puts graduates’ earnings at the center of the decision. The U.S. Department of Education has finalized a new accountability system that will measure whether graduates of college programs earn more than workers with a lower level of education. The new system, known as STATS and Earnings Accountability, is scheduled to replace the current federal framework beginning July 1, 2027. For undergraduate programs, the government will generally compare graduates’ median earnings with those of working adults who have only a high school diploma. Graduate programs face a different benchmark tied to earnings of workers with a bachelor’s degree. The government can use earnings information from the IRS to calculate a program’s median graduate earnings. Importantly, the IRS does not give the Education Department individual students’ salaries or identities; it provides aggregated earnings information used for the calculation. A program would not lose federal loans simply because it fails the test once. Under the final rule, a program that fails the earnings measure in two out of three award years can be classified as a low-earning outcome program and lose access to federal Direct Loans for at least two years. There are also provisions designed to allow some already-enrolled students to finish their programs. The rule has raised concerns for programs connected to traditionally lower-paying careers. Recent reporting has highlighted areas including social work, art and music, while certificate programs can also be affected. Supporters of stronger accountability argue students should have better protection from programs that leave graduates with weak financial outcomes; critics argue that salary alone may not capture the value or public importance of careers such as social work, education and ministry. The change comes from higher-education provisions enacted by Congress in 2025 and is now being implemented through Department of Education regulations. #lunionsuite #haitianamerican