DeSantis faces riskier operation in Haiti after ordering rescue flights out of Israel

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration wants to know if any Floridians stranded in Haiti need to be rescued, as the Caribbean nation faces its worst political and security crisis in decades.

But exactly how the state plans to help remains unclear, with State Department officials warning it is “not safe” for U.S. citizens to attempt a departure from the country in light of the ongoing crisis.

DeSantis’ office said in a press release Thursday that Floridians in Haiti could fill out an online questionnaire to “let the state know of immediate needs” and where they need to be rescued from. His office did not immediately respond when asked what state officials would do once the information is collected.

“We will do everything possible to help Floridians and Americans who are in need of help in Haiti,” Florida Division of Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie said in a statement. “I encourage those with needs to visit the portal today.”

READ MORE: DeSantis to respond to potential Haitian migration wave

The governor previously contracted with private organizations to fly U.S. citizens out of Israel last year, just days after Hamas’ attack on the country on Oct. 7.

That operation provided Floridians in Israel with an opportunity to leave despite many commercial airlines canceling flights out of the country’s main airport, out of fear that incoming rocket fire from Hamas could endanger aircraft.

By contrast, any rescue mission in Haiti would be riskier for the state, as heavily armed gangs continue to challenge the Haitian government to turn the country’s capital, Port-au-Prince, into a war zone.

The international airport in Port-au-Prince has been under regular gunfire. The main roadways out of the capital are under gang control. And armed groups have orchestrated a jailbreak of nearly 4,000 inmates, many of them murderers and kidnappers and gang leaders.

While the Haiti National Police are fighting back, it is not entirely clear who is in charge, with the country’s prime minister, Ariel Henry, resigning earlier this week to defer to a transitional government that has not yet formed.

The chaotic situation has led President Joe Biden to send U.S. military personnel this week to protect U.S. diplomats and facilities on the island. He said Thursday that U.S. Armed Forces personnel will remain in Haiti “as long as the security environment requires.”

The State Department has also directed U.S. citizens who remain in Haiti to a U.S. government intake form on the embassy’s website.

“We are in contact with a number of American citizens in Haiti,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters on Monday. “I do want to reiterate that we have had a Level 4 travel alert for Haiti for more than four years now, making very clear to American citizens that, number one, they should not travel to Haiti, that it is not safe to travel to Haiti; and number two, that they are — if they’re in Haiti, they should leave as soon as it’s safe for them to do so.”

“It’s not safe for a number of them to leave right now, and they’re not able to leave right now because the airport has been damaged and commercial carriers have suspended flights,” Miller continued, “so what we are asking U.S. citizens to do today is to register through our crisis intake form, which you can get to through the embassy’s website, and we will communicate with them the best information we have when we have it.”

DeSantis signals to potential rescue missions

In Florida, the DeSantis administration is collecting names, contact information and the locations of Floridians who might be stranded in the conflict zone. One of the questions on the state’s intake form is “from where do you need rescue,” asking people to provide state officials with “a pin or coordinates” of the location.

The governor’s office did not immediately respond when asked if it has been in contact with any individuals in Haiti or if the administration intends to partner with other organizations to help with the state’s rescue efforts.

When DeSantis sought to rescue Americans from Israel, he partnered with several private organizations that helped the state identify Americans who were seeking to flee the war zone.

Those rescue flights are estimated to have cost Florida taxpayers approximately $32 million. The price tag included payouts to three separate organizations — ARS Global Emergency Management, TAD Recovery Services and Echo 1 Emergency Logistics Inc.

ARS — which has also helped the governor carry out the state’s controversial migrant relocation program — was the primary contractor leading the Israel rescue flights.

In addition to the three private vendors, the state also partnered with Project Dynamo, a Tampa-based nonprofit that specializes in bringing U.S. citizens home from conflict zones around the world.

It is unclear whether any of those organizations will be involved in any effort related to Haiti.