By Zoila Palma: U.S. President Donald Trump has nominated Florida businessman Austin Holmes to serve as the next U.S. ambassador to Haiti, as the Caribbean nation continues to grapple with a severe political and security crisis.
Holmes’ nomination was submitted to the U.S. Senate on Monday, September 14, and he must receive Senate confirmation before taking up the diplomatic post.
Holmes has longstanding ties to Haiti through humanitarian and security work and has previously lived in the country with his family.
Earlier this year, he testified before a Senate appropriations subcommittee during a hearing examining U.S. security and foreign assistance priorities in Haiti.
During his testimony, Holmes said he has participated in security operations in Haiti, including kidnapping recoveries and emergency extractions. He cited the 2023 recovery of American humanitarian worker Jeff Frazier, who was kidnapped by gangs while participating in a food distribution mission and held captive for 43 days. Holmes said his team “successfully recovered” Frazier.
Holmes said his approach to operations in Haiti is based on local knowledge and long-term engagement. “Deep cultural fluency, long-term presence and operational leadership rooted in local context” have driven the results achieved by his teams, he said, adding that many of his personnel are Haitian and Haitian American with local experience, language skills and relationships.
The post International News: Trump names Haiti security expert Austin Holmes as Ambassador nominee appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
By Zoila Palma: U.S. President Donald Trump has nominated Florida businessman Austin Holmes to serve as the next U.S. ambassador to Haiti, as the Caribbean nation continues to grapple with a severe political and security crisis. Holmes’ nomination was submitted to the U.S. Senate on Monday, September 14, and he must receive Senate confirmation before
The post International News: Trump names Haiti security expert Austin Holmes as Ambassador nominee appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
