Marco Rubio’s first trip as US Secretary of State was billed as a mission to strengthen ties with key partners in Latin America. He visited Panama, Costa Rica, El Salvador, and Guatemala – all nations grappling with significant regional issues. Why stop in the Dominican Republic? No clear reason at all.

But with catastrophic humanitarian crisis continuing on the same island, Rubio didn’t bother to set foot in Haiti. Not even for a symbolic visit and certainly not even to acknowledge the thousands slaughtered by gangs or the millions trapped in anarchy. Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, is 85% controlled by violent warlords. Over 5,000 people were killed last year and entire neighborhoods have become death traps.

But for Rubio – and the Trump administration – Haiti might as well not exist; it does not for them.

Rubio’s neglect is especially glaring given the absence of any pressing reason for his Dominican Republic stop. Unlike his visits to Panama, Costa Rica or Guatemala, where security and economic discussions were front and center, his stop in Santo Domingo seemed little more than a convenient photo op – a slap in the face to Haitians enduring unimaginable horror just miles away.

This is not new. During Trump’s first term, Haiti was treated with contempt. Trump reportedly infamously referred to it as a “shit-hole country,” and his policies reflected that disdain. Biden, despite his promises of compassionate leadership, didn’t do any better. Now, Rubio and Trump’s new “leadership” is doubling down on indifference to Haiti.

Haiti’s suffering is not an afterthought – it’s a failure of U.S. leadership. Rubio’s refusal to even acknowledge it on his trip is a stark reminder of that failure as is most of Trump’s agenda south of our border. China is all over Latin America, South America, Caribbean but not the U.S.

Haiti’s cries for action are deafening. Rubio’s silence is damning.