Venice-based ministry vows to continue sending weekly aid to Haiti despite U.S. warning amid violence
VENICE, Fla. - The U.S. state department has officially ordered non-emergency government personnel to leave Haiti, as the Caribbean nation continues to reel under widespread gang violence, kidnappings and political instability.
This travel advisory was issued around the same time an American nurse and her child were kidnapped while volunteering there.
Agape Flights is a nonprofit Christian aviation ministry that flies critical supplies to Caribbean nations and disaster areas, including Haiti.
Its CEO tells FOX 13, these warnings and the worsening humanitarian crisis, are exactly why they will continue their operations as normal.
Agape responded on Twitter to the U.S. travel advisory.
U.S. officials are now urging Americans in Haiti to leave "as soon as possible" and warning people not to travel there.
RELATED: 'We won't be deterred': Agape Flights crew returns after plane set on fire during protests in Haiti
Agape flights reacted to the latest advisory on social media this weekend, asking for prayers for the people of Haiti and their own pilots and volunteers because they do plan on sending out their weekly cargo flights, which range from tires on cars or medicine to non-perishable foods, this Thursday and Friday.
Agape has been sending supplies to Haiti for the past 40 years.
"They don't have accessibility to the necessities, the very basic things," Agape Flights CEO, Allen Speer, explained. "Especially if you're in an outside area, if you try to drive to Port au Prince, it's an impossibility because the gangs rule the roadways. So, you will either be intimidated, you'll be charged an extravagant amount of money or a lot worse."
Last year, an Agape Flight plane was actually set on fire and destroyed during protests against the Haitian government over gang violence when locals thought the plane belonged to a politician.
Speer says they've been flying to Haiti for more than 40 years and witnessing the needs of the people firsthand, which is why he and his team will continue to support them in any way they can.
RELATED: Venice-based ministry’s plane destroyed as political violence breaks out in Haiti
"They are remarkable people," Speer added. "If you were to go with me, even into Port-au-Prince, you would find a warmth. The everyday Haitian is a wonderful person. Many, Haitians are my good friends, brothers and sisters in Christ. I would just say to you that they want this to end. They want help and they need help. And I would just say, your listeners, to make a call to their senator, make a call to their congressmen, and to say, ‘Listen, this violence has to stop.’"
File: Protesters in Haiti.
Gang violence has surged in Haiti, especially in the capital of Port-au-Prince, after the July 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moise.
They've forced thousands of residents out of their homes and onto the streets.
There's increased crime, unrest, poor healthcare, and widespread kidnappings where U.S. citizens are often the targeted victims.
File: An Agape plane was burned in Haiti during a period of unrest.
The state department is now working to find a nurse from New Hampshire, Alix Dorsainvil and her young daughter, who were kidnapped the morning of July 27 on the campus that belongs to the non-profit they were working for, called El Roi Haiti.
Haiti has also been ravaged this century by two devastating earthquakes — including one shortly after Moïse's assassination — and has struggled with political chaos, violence and poverty.
El Roi Haiti said it would keep pressing for the safe return of Alix and her child.