President Donald Trump‘s Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on May 30 that Ambassador Henry T. Wooster was appointed as the new Chargé d’Affaires at the U.S. embassy in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, effective June 12.
[Note: Wooster replaced Biden-appointed Ambassador Dennis B. Hankins, who served at the embassy in Port-au-Prince since 2024, when the fallout from Prime Minister Ariel Henry‘s resignation coincided with what the Haitian Times described as the Caribbean nation’s “intensifying political instability, gang violence, a hunger crisis.”]
L’ambassade des États-Unis à Port-au-Prince accueille l’ambassadeur Wooster en tant que nouveau chargé d’affaires. Fort d’une carrière remarquable, avec notamment des missions en Haïti, en France, en Irak, au Pakistan, en Géorgie, diverses affectations à Washington et un rôle… pic.twitter.com/HhvKIzFahR
— U.S. Embassy Haiti (@USEmbassyHaiti) June 14, 2025
In a statement, Rubio said: “Ambassador Wooster has had a long and distinguished career, including service at Embassy Port au Prince, as Ambassador to Jordan, and in the U.S. Army.”
Rubio added of Wooster: “Given his extensive background in Washington and his proven leadership record overseas, he is the right person to lead this mission at a critical time.”
Two weeks after Wooster’s appointment went into effect, on June 27, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti, which affects approximately 500,000 Haitians currently living in the United States.
Pleased to announce Ambassador Henry Wooster will take on the role of Chargé d’Affaires at @USEmbassyHaiti. Ambassador Wooster has a proven record of uniting people and identifying creative solutions. Given his background in Washington and leadership overseas, I know that he’s…
— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) May 30, 2025
The DHS claims “the environmental situation in Haiti has improved enough that it is safe for Haitian citizens to return home,” and encourages “these individuals to take advantage of the Department’s resources in returning to Haiti, which can be arranged through the CBP Home app.” Note: The termination will go into effect on September 2, 2025.
Note: According to The New York Times armed gangs still “hold the upper hand in many parts of Port-au-Prince, controlling entire neighborhoods. They have engaged in extortion and kidnapping to finance their operations and have also demanded a say in Haiti’s political future.”
Democrats including Congressman Maxwell Frost (D-FL), who is of Haitian descent, objects to the DHS decision to terminate TPS.
Frost wrote: “DHS claims Haiti is ‘safe enough’ to end TPS, but the State Dept warns Americans not to travel due to kidnappings and crime. The Trump Admin is actively lying to justify ending TPS amid a deadly humanitarian crisis. This is a deliberate act of cruelty.”
DHS claims Haiti is “safe enough” to end TPS, but the State Dept warns Americans not to travel due to kidnappings and crime. The Trump Admin is actively lying to justify ending TPS amid a deadly humanitarian crisis.
This is a deliberate act of cruelty. https://t.co/OwZtTPQa5E
— Congressman Maxwell Alejandro Frost (@RepMaxwellFrost) June 27, 2025