Haitians seen crushing into migration centres seeking passports to US

Videos show people climbing on railings of stairs and being crushed as they fight their way through crowds, clutching document envelopes

Haitians desperate for passports to apply for a US migration programme crowded local migration centres, according to videos shared on social media on Friday, crushing through small doorways and scaling the outside of stairways.

Videos from Haiti's Lalue migration office and an improvised centre at a sports facility in the capital Port-au-Prince show people climbing on railings of stairs and being crushed as they fight their way through crowds, clutching document envelopes.

The United States said in early January it would allow up to 30,000 people from Haiti, Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela to enter by air each month on a parole programme, allowing migrants entry case-by-case for humanitarian reasons or public benefit.

The move comes as the country expands Trump-era restrictions to rapidly expel migrants caught illegally crossing the US-Mexico border on foot.

Hundreds of Haitian migrants have been stopped in boats looking to emigrate amid a surge in violence driven by armed gangs, which has left hundreds dead and internally displaced over 100,000, according to the UN migration agency.

Neighbouring Dominican Republic and the Bahamas have stepped up their border security.