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Renan H.: Former Haitian ombudsman deported to Haiti alongside 78 others

Renan Hédouville, a lawyer and former Haitian human-rights ombudsman, was arrested in Montgomery, Alabama, while updating his status and deported alongside 78 others on a September 3 flight.

Sep 4, 2026Montgomery, ALCountry of origin: Haiti

Renan H.: Former Haitian ombudsman deported to Haiti alongside 78 others
Photo via News Tribune

Renan Hédouville, a lawyer, human-rights advocate and former head of Haiti's Office of Citizen Protection (ombudsman), was arrested in Montgomery, Alabama, on August 25 while attempting to update his immigration status, after Haitian authorities issued warrants accusing him of embezzling nearly $130,000 in public funds. An investigation by Haiti's Anti-Corruption Unit alleges he billed for ten fictitious business trips and funneled payments to his daughter and chief of staff, Régine Hédouville, and his son-in-law, Tex Willer Célafoi Louis, among other irregularities; Hédouville had sued the anti-corruption unit and declined to cooperate with investigators. He requested voluntary deportation and was among 79 Haitians sent back on a flight that departed Alexandria, Louisiana, on September 3, one of three such flights since the Trump administration ended temporary protected status for more than 300,000 Haitians.

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