April 10, 2026

Media Contact: media@haitianbridge.org

San Diego, CA. — The Haitian Bridge Alliance (HBA) expresses its deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of Yasmin Easman the woman brutally killed in Fort Myers, Florida. This senseless act of violence has shaken communities across the nation, and we mourn alongside all those grieving this profound loss. HBA unequivocally condemns this horrific crime. No act of violence can ever be justified, and the individual responsible must be held fully accountable under the law.

According to reports, the woman was fatally attacked at a gas station in Fort Myers, and the suspect—identified as a Haitian national—has been charged with murder. President Donald Trump subsequently shared graphic footage of the killing and used the incident to criticize immigration policies, including Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians. 

HBA strongly denounces the President’s decision to weaponize this isolated tragedy to advance a broader narrative that stigmatizes Black and brown immigrant communities and undermines humanitarian protections such as TPS. Such rhetoric is not only misleading—it is dangerous.

Statement from Executive Director Guerline Jozef, Haitian Bridge Alliance:

“Our hearts are with the family of the victim during this unimaginably painful time. We condemn this act of violence in the strongest possible terms. But we must also be clear: one individual’s actions do not define an entire people. The exploitation of this tragedy to demonize Haitian immigrants and dismantle humanitarian protections is both unjust and deeply harmful. Haitian TPS holders and immigrant families in the United States are workers, caregivers, students, and neighbors. They deserve dignity, protection, and policies grounded in truth—not fear.”

HBA calls on elected officials and public leaders to exercise restraint, accuracy, and compassion in addressing matters of public safety and immigration. Amplifying graphic violence and linking it to entire populations fuels division, perpetuates racial bias, violence and distracts from meaningful solutions.

Statement from Murad Awawdeh, President and CEO, New York Immigration Coalition:

“The tragic situation that happened in Florida should not be used to demonize entire communities or dismantle protections that thousands of families rely on to live safely and work legally under programs like Temporary Protected Status. The escalating rhetoric from the Trump administration fuels this harm by distorting individual incidents into justification for broad, punitive policy changes that scapegoats all immigrants and puts a target on their backs. Trump has repeatedly shown that he will seize on any case to dismantle legal pathways, strip protections, and expand a deportation machine that operates with little accountability or regard for due process. We must uphold and strengthen TPS as a critical lifeline grounded in humanitarian protection, ensure everyone has access to due process, and reject any effort to weaponize isolated cases to justify policies that put entire communities at risk.”

At this moment of grief, the nation must come together—not be divided by narratives that harm vulnerable populations.

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ABOUT HAITIAN BRIDGE ALLIANCE

Haitian Bridge Alliance (HBA), also known as “The Bridge”, is a grassroots community organization that advocates for fair and humane immigration policies, foreign policy, and provides migrants and immigrants with humanitarian, legal, and social services, with a particular focus on Black migrants, the Haitian community, women and girls, LGBTQIA+ individuals, and survivors of torture and other human rights abuses. HBA also seeks to elevate the issues unique to Black migrants and build solidarity and a collective movement toward policy change. Anpil men chay pa lou (“Many hands make the load light”).
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