Haitian-American Republican Trailblazer Dead At 49

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News Americas, New York, NY, March 23, 2025: Haitian-American former U.S. Congresswoman Mia Love, the first Black Republican woman elected to the U.S. Congress, passed away on Sunday, March 23rd, at the age of 49.

FLASHBACK – Haitian American Representative Mia Love (R-UT) seen at Politico’s 6th Annual Women Rule Summit in Washington, DC. (Photo by Michael Brochstein/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Her family confirmed her passing in a statement posted to her official X (formerly Twitter) account, noting that she died peacefully at her home in Saratoga Springs, Utah, after a courageous battle with brain cancer. Love had been receiving immunotherapy as part of a clinical trial at Duke University’s brain tumor center, but her daughter recently shared that she was no longer responding to treatment.

“With grateful hearts filled to overflowing for the profound influence of Mia on our lives, we want you to know that she passed away peacefully,” her family shared. “We are thankful for the many good wishes, prayers and condolences.”

Born Ludmya Bourdeau, Love was the daughter of Haitian immigrants who arrived in the U.S. with only $10 and a dream. Her father, Jean Maxime Bourdeau, instilled in her a firm belief in the American dream and the value of perseverance—principles that defined both her personal life and political career.

Love began her political journey in 2003 as a city council member in Saratoga Springs, later becoming the city’s mayor. She rose to national prominence in 2014 when she won a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives for Utah’s 4th Congressional District, becoming the first Black Republican woman ever elected to Congress.

Though she did not focus on race in her campaigns, Love recognized the historic nature of her election. “There were so many naysayers who said that Utah would never elect a Black, Republican, Mormon woman to Congress,” she remarked after her 2014 victory.

Briefly seen as a rising star within the Republican Party, Love distanced herself from then-candidate Donald Trump during the 2016 election, aligning with the more moderate views of many Utah voters.

In an op-ed published earlier this month, Love offered a heartfelt reflection on her journey, her love for America, and her hopes for its future. She urged elected officials to lead with compassion and to communicate honestly with their constituents.

“In the end, I hope that my life will have mattered and made a difference for the nation I love and the family and friends I adore,” she wrote. “I hope you will see the America I know in the years ahead, that you will hear my words in the whisper of the wind of freedom and feel my presence in the flame of the enduring principles of liberty. My living wish and fervent prayer for you and for this nation is that the America I have known is the America you fight to preserve.”

Utah Governor Spencer Cox paid tribute to Love, calling her “a true friend” and praising her legacy of public service.

Love’s political journey exposed her to both the promise and the challenges of American democracy. But she remained committed to the belief that her story – and the stories of countless others – represented the best of what the country could offer.

She is survived by her husband and three children.

U.S. Secretary Of State For CARICOM Meeting; Guyana, Suriname Visit

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News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Mon. March 24, 2025: U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to travel to the Caribbean again this week, but this time its for a series of high-level meetings with regional leaders of the Caribbean Community, (CARICOM), as part of a three-nation tour aimed at deepening U.S. engagement.

FLASHBACK: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio gives a joint news conference with Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader at the National Palace in Santo Domingo on February 6, 2025. (Photo by MARK SCHIEFELBEIN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

On Wednesday, Rubio will arrive in Kingston, Jamaica, where he will be hosted by Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness and meet with a delegation of CARICOM leaders to discuss pressing regional issues, including U.S. foreign policy, security, trade, and migration.

Among the key participants in the Kingston talks will include Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley, who will represent CARICOM as a whole; Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Stuart Young, who leads regional security matters; and Fritz Alphonse Jean, the newly appointed head of Haiti’s Transitional Presidential Council.

Rubio’s visit comes at a pivotal moment, as Caribbean leaders express concern over worsening insecurity in Haiti, shifting U.S. immigration policies, false claims over Cuban doctors in the region, and potential economic fallout from a proposed Trump administration policy that would increase port fees on China-linked ships traveling to the United States.

“The meeting with Secretary Rubio presents a strategic opportunity to strengthen U.S.-Caribbean ties and ensure our concerns are addressed at the highest level,” said Prime Minister Stuart Young, who will be accompanied by Trinidad and Tobago’s Minister of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs, Dr. Amery Browne.

Following his visit to Jamaica, Secretary Rubio will continue his diplomatic mission with stops in Guyana and Suriname, where he will meet with Presidents Mohamed Irfaan Ali and Chandrikapersad “Chan” Santokhi. The two South American nations are both CARICOM members and emerging energy powerhouses.

Rubio’s meetings across the region aim to reinforce U.S. partnerships amid growing concerns that recent decisions – such as the termination of the Biden-era humanitarian parole program and the rollback of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians and Venezuelans- could destabilize vulnerable communities.

Rubio first visited the Caribbean in February when he stopped in the Dominican Republic. He has so far said nothing on the crisis in Haiti, which shares the same island with the DR.