Haitians in Brooklyn are slamming President Donald Trump’s latest travel ban impacting 12 countries, which took effect Monday.

“It’s a racist, I should say, policy,” said Jensen Desrosiers, a Haitian restaurant owner based in Brooklyn.

The ban applies to citizens of Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.

What You Need To Know

  • Haiti is among 12 countries whose citizens will be banned from visiting the United States

  • Many Haitians in the Brooklyn neighborhood known as little Haiti feel as though the travel ban is yet another set back for their community

  • U.S. Visas for Haitians haven’t been processed for the last two years, prompting Haitians to apply for temporary Protected Status from deportation, which Trump ended after he took office in January

“Seems to me it’s probably more racism,” said Lu, another Haitian living in Brooklyn. He preferred not to give his last name.

His reaction reflects the sentiment of many people in the Brooklyn community known as Little Haiti upon learning about Trump’s new travel ban.

Trump says the decision was made with national security in mind.

In addition to the ban, his proclamation also imposes heightened restrictions on people from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela who are outside the U.S. and don’t hold a valid visa.

This decision resembles a travel ban issued during his first presidency, which banned travel from seven predominantly Muslim countries.

“People constantly have plans to do either business or go to see their families or to go back and forth to Haiti,” said Desrosiers, who owns Anbatonel Restaurant Group and Bon Bonbon, a Haitian bakery located on Flatbush Avenue in the heart of Little Haiti.

In addition to the government banning Haitians from entering the U.S., he said many Haitians in the U.S. won’t want to travel back to Haiti for fear of not being allowed back into the country.

“For the Haitians, I think it’s devastating,” Desrosiers said. “It’s something that’s going to tear apart families. It’s going to tear apart the whole community.”

“We have to be very, very careful with travel, where we travel and all the 19 countries that was impacted by this new decision,” said Ralph Balen, who is also Haitian.

Haiti has experienced a heightened level of conflict and violence in recent years. U.S. visas for Haitians haven’t been processed for the last two years, prompting many to apply for temporary protected status from deportation — a protection Trump ended after taking office in January.

Aside from their anger with Trump, some people in Little Haiti also blame former President Joe Biden for not granting citizenship to Haitians fleeing the turmoil before he left office.

“So why didn’t they try to legalize these people? Let them pay whatever, then give them a green card,” said Lu. “If these people [were] protected before Trump came in, it makes it worse now.”

Unlike the initial travel ban Trump instituted during his first term, there are now extensive exemptions, including for lawful U.S. residents such as green card holders, dual citizens, refugees granted asylum before the ban and some athletes traveling for the 2026 World Cup and the 2028 Olympics.