Sports Journalism Great Mitch Albom Evacuated from Haiti Amid Civil Unrest

The Caribbean’s most populous country is reeling from two mass prison breaks this month.

Mitch Albom—the longtime sports columnist for The Detroit Free Press and a bestselling author—was among a small group evacuated from Tuesday from Haiti amid widespread unrest in the Caribbean’s most populous country.

Albom, 65, described his ordeal in a Tuesday night statement.

“After two days of coordinated efforts, a group of us from the Have Faith Haiti Orphanage, including my wife and myself, were evacuated in the middle of the night from a site in Haiti (not our orphanage),” Albom said.

The author and his wife have helped operate the Have Faith Haiti Orphanage in Port-au-Prince, the Haitian capital, through their A Hole in the Roof Foundation since 2010.

Haiti—long one of the least stable countries in the world, particularly so since the 2021 assassination of its president Jovenel Moïse—has seen two mass prison breaks this month. Ariel Henry, the country’s prime minister, indicated Tuesday that he would resign amid rampant gang violence in the republic.

“Many other Americans, Canadians and others are still stuck in Haiti in an extremely volatile situation and they need help getting out and it seems very little is coming from our governments,” Albom said in his statement. “Our personal biggest concern is our 60 children and 40 staff at the Have Faith Haiti Orphanage who have to endure their country’s violence and danger every day with no option to leave. We truly implore our U.S leaders to be more active in helping to save their country.”

Albom has worked for the Detroit Free Press since 1985, and is one of the country’s most well-known sportswriters due largely to appearances on ESPN’s The Sports Reporters and his prolific literary output.