September 2025 News from Haiti

OPODHA communities elect leaders and plan collective action
While Haiti’s government remains absent—with no elected officials at any level—all 76 OPODHA-organized communities held elections for local officers. Newly elected presidents gathered in an annual assembly to report on past work and plan for the coming year. Each pledged to share training at home and continue identifying resources to strengthen their communities.

Although representatives from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) could not attend, OPODHA leaders committed to pursuing meetings with IDB officials to demand transparency, accountability, and inclusion over investment and development spending in Haiti. OPODHA’s grassroots elections provide a model of functioning democracy and prepare communities to participate fully if national elections are held next year.

Way Forward in Haiti: Diaspora clergy defend Haitian immigrants and combat arms trafficking
Evangelical, Catholic, and Protestant Haitian congregations are uniting to advocate for immigrant protections and against arms trafficking to Haiti. With the support of many dedicated friends of Haiti and partners like the Quixote Center and the National Haitian Elected Officials Network, the House of Representatives passed the Haiti Criminal Collusion Transparency Act, which now moves the Senate for consideration..

The Haitian Evangelical Alliance—instrumental in securing the most recent TPS extension to February 3—has met with Rep. Hakeem Jeffries and Senator Schumer and is preparing a letter urging Congress to grant an 18-month TPS extension. Plans are underway to convene a coalition of faith leaders later this year to meet with lawmakers, halt deportations, and expand protections for Haitian communities.

Ron

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