There may be no nation facing the brute force of a combination of America’s harshest policies in 2026, from visa bans to ICE raids, quite as much as Haiti. Pair that with being the recipient of Donald Trump’s most unfounded rhetoric, including that Haitians in Ohio were eating cats and dogs.

Yet, Haiti has qualified for the second World Cup ever, and the first in 52 years. Lots of Haitian supporters won’t be able to come to support due to travel bans. And the coach, Sébastien Migné, reportedly has never step foot in Haiti due to safety issues.

Haiti is the true definition of an underdog, both politically and athletically: The Athletic recently ranked the nation 48 of the 48 countries at the World Cup.

Talib speaks to Sam Pierre, the executive director of the Haitian-American Caucus, to set the record straight. In a mire of mistruths, they discuss the realities in Haiti, the Haitian-American diaspora, what the World Cup means to the community, and working with the White House—and some of his answers may surprise you.

00:00 Haiti Underdog Spirit

00:35 Intro

04:02 Meet Sam Pierre

05:21 Haitian Diaspora

06:49 Work And Success

08:20 Haiti Reality Check

12:45 History And Inequality

16:39 World Cup Pride

20:46 Travel Ban Fallout

24:13 Who Can Attend Games

25:10 TPS Explained Simply

28:24 Trump Rhetoric

33:06 Working With Government

37:31 ICE Risks At World Cup

41:49 World Cup Pride Moment

44:57 Underdog Predictions

46:44 Join Haitian Caucus

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