Washington missionary trapped in Haiti with her family says Joe Biden has ABANDONED Americans while crime boss Barbecue reigns with terror: 'There is no way out'

A Washington family trapped in war-torn Haiti says they have been abandoned by the US government and left hiding near the airport surrounded by fighting. 

Haiti descended into chaos this month as gangs seized control and overran prisons releasing thousands of inmates who went on a killing spree and took over public buildings, shutting down travel from the country. 

Missionary Jill Dolan who runs the Love a Neighbor orphanage in rural Haiti was trapped with three of her children, aged 14 to 20, when fighting broke out. 

They say they've had little help from the US government, despite public assurances from the State Department that it is doing everything it can to evacuate stranded citizens. 

'We hear a lot of gunfire, generally at night. We hear a lot... There's no way out,' Dolan told CBS. 

The government is yet to address exactly how many Americans remain stranded. Officials are considering housing refugees in Guantanamo Bay if there is a mass exodus. 

Jill Dolan who runs the Love a Neighbor orphanage in rural Haiti is trapped with three of her children aged 14 to 20

The government has had a level four travel warning in place for Haiti for four years advising against all travel to the country 

Police officers take part in an operation on the surroundings of the National Penitentiary following a fire, as a powerful gang leader in Haiti has issued a threatening message aimed at political leaders who would take part in a still-unformed transition council for the country

The family were meant to be leaving to go to Dolan's daughter's wedding when fighting broke out and their flights were cancelled

All non-essential US Embassy personnel have already been evacuated and the government says they are 'extremely limited' in their ability to provide assistance to US citizens still in the country, advising them to find 'private transportation' out. 

With armed gangs - led by a man named Barbecue - still roaming the streets and clashing with police, the major airport in the capital Port-au-Prince remains closed. 

Among several Americans who managed to be rescued from the island was 'Tuesdays with Morrie' author Mitch Albom, The New York Times reported.

Albom, and members of the Have Faith Haiti orphanage the author runs, were evacuated following the declaration of emergency.

U.S Congressman Cory Mills of Florida, who is an Army veteran, and Congresswoman Lisa McClain of Michigan led the rescue mission.

While Albom escaped, the orphans were not so lucky. 

'I had a responsibility to bring home 8 wonderful volunteers who were working with us,' he wrote in a statement to the Times, calling the decision to leave them being 'horribly difficult.' 

'But my wife’s and my hearts ache for our kids still there.'

Dolan told Scripps news of her own efforts to get off the island: 'We've had many tickets and they just keep getting canceled. Now, you can't even book a flight.

'So, we're just kind of waiting. A lot of people tell us to get to the D.R.(Dominican Republic) border, and we can try to go to the D.R., but that's not a super safe route for us.'

Getting to the border from the compound they are hiding in would require driving for hours along backroads through numerous gang checkpoints. 

A person pushes a cart past tires set on fire by demonstrators during a protest in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, 12 March 2024

People wait to collect water in containers along a street after Haiti's Prime Minister Ariel Henry pledged to step down

Jimmy 'Barbecue' Cherizier (pictured) warned of a 'genocide' unless Haiti's Prime Minister Ariel Henry stepped down. The country is now in a state of flux 

One of Dolan's daughters is due to get married in Florida this month so the rest of her family had already left before the violence erupted, but Dolan didn't make it out in time. 

She said: 'I've been in contact with some guy at the embassy, and he has just basically said 'Be safe,' which doesn't really do a lot of help. 

'It doesn't really encourage me at all.

'So, we're just really hoping and praying that they're going to be able to somehow arrange for some flights to go out with some people that are just stuck here.'

Former Haiti  prime minister Ariel Henry says only he can appoint a transitionary council to transfer power following his resignation

She added: 'Ninety percent of the people in Haiti are kind, loving, precious people. The children are sweet and precious and so innocent. 

'And so, for these gangs and the prime minister and all these people in political power, it's just sad to me that they're doing what they're doing.'

It is not known how many US citizens remain in the country.

The government has had a level four travel alert in place for Haiti for four years, which advises against all travel to the country and tells anyone in the country to leave as soon as they can. 

Jill's husband, Ryan Dolan, who had left before the fighting started told K5: 'I'm nervous. I'm not feeling supported or hopeful that the U.S. government is going to come to our aid or help evacuate in a timely fashion.'

It comes after American parents raised the alarm on their adoptive children that they say are stuck in the country. 

The parents, who are based in states such as Iowa and Florida, told DailyMail.com they fear for the youngsters' lives as the island descends into anarchy.

In horrifying testimony, they revealed they could hear gunshots and screaming as they spoke to the kids on the phone this week.

'Our children will not survive this,' warned adoptive mom Michelle Reed, who is trying to get her adopted six-year-old son Esai home to Florida to reunite with his two biological siblings who she previously adopted.

The families' testimony came less than a day after Haiti’s Prime Minister Ariel Henry was forced to resign, following an emergency summit called to address gang-led violence currently occurring in the country. 

The volatile situation has seen dead bodies pile up in the streets of the nation's capital Port-au-Prince 

The 74-year-old head of state tendered his resignation a week after the growing coalition of gangs warned of civil war if he did not step down.

His resignation was swiftly confirmed by Guyana’s president Mohamed Irfaan Ali, the current chair of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).

The coalition called the emergency meeting as gangs across the Caribbean country continue to unite, targeting government buildings and foreign embassies - and killing many innocents caught in the crossfire.

As a result, thousands have had fled their homes, and locals continue to report the overwhelming stench of the dead. Meanwhile, politicians across the region are scrambling for a solution - one that may now be in sight following Henry's removal.

'We acknowledge his resignation upon the establishment of a transitional presidential council and naming of an interim prime minister,' Ali said, thanking Henry -  who came to power unelected after the assassination of Haiti’s previous president -  for his service.

The decision, said to have been made Friday, came shortly before the US deployed Marines to evacuate its embassy as gangs led by former police officer Jimmy 'Barbecue' Cherizier continue to attack state institutions.

Henry, at the moment, remains unable to return home, stranded in Puerto Rico since Tuesday after officials deemed it unsafe for him to land in neighboring Dominican Republic.

On Saturday, the office of Dominican President Luis Abinader issued a statement explaining that decision - saying 'Henry is not welcome in the Dominican Republic for safety reasons.' 

Fires are burning across Haiti as gangs run amok 

The conflict has sparked concerns among Republicans that Haitian refugees will travel to the US

That decision came shortly after another that saw the Caribbean nation close its land border with its embattled neighbor, seemingly leaving the other side of Hispaniola to its fate.

The conflict has sparked concerns among Republicans that Haitian refugees will travel to the US. 

The Biden administration is considering processing Haitian migrants at Guantanamo Bay if there is a mass exodus fleeing the gang-fuelled violence.

The White House is discussing the plans amid fears thousands could try and reach the U.S. to escape the Caribbean nation on the brink of collapse.

Haitians would be processed on the base 200 miles from Haiti in a center separate to Camp X, where terrorist suspects are held, CNN reported. 

The Department of Homeland Security says migration from the island being overtaken by gangs is so far low.

Ron DeSantis announced that he will send over 250 additional soldiers - and a fleet of aircraft and boats - to 'protect' Florida from vessels carrying Haitian asylum seekers.

The conservative governor made the edict Wednesday, as unrest in the Caribbean country continued for a second week.

The deployment will include 48 National Guardsmen, as well as four helicopters that will add to an already boisterous line of defense along the state's southern coast.

A further 39 officers from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, 30 from Florida Highway Patrol, and 23 from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission will also join the front, as well as a litany of aircraft and drones and eight boats.

Ron DeSantis will send over 250 additional soldiers - and a fleet of aircraft and boats - to 'protect' Florida from vessels carrying Haitian asylum seekers as unrest continues across the country

The details of the deployment were outlined by DeSantis' office, after the failed GOP candidate took to X to announce the operation. It will  consist of 48 National Guardsmen, as well as four helicopters

The details of the deployment were provided by DeSantis' office, shortly after the failed GOP candidate took to X to announce the operation.

DeSantis, 45, went on to outline his decision Wednesday morning, citing how his state - prior to the current situation - had already gone through great lengths to keep Haitians from entering illegally. 

'For quite some time, the State of Florida has been dedicating significant resources to combat illegal vessels coming to Florida from countries such as Haiti,' DeSantis said, obliquely mentioning countries like Cuba, Dominican Republic, and Jamaica.  

'Given the circumstances in Haiti,' he continued, 'I have directed the Division of Emergency Management, the Florida State Guard, and state law enforcement agencies to deploy over 250 additional officers and soldiers and over a dozen air and sea craft to the southern coast of Florida.'

The decision, he said, was made 'to protect our state.'

Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Jamaica earlier this week to discuss humanitarian  aid and evacuees. Many Americans on the island say they've been forced to resort to finding their own way out