Even before President Donald Trump told Haitians this week they will no longer be welcome in the United States, travel from the crisis-wracked Caribbean nation was already difficult. It's been restricted by deadly gang violence,

U.S. Rep. Mike Lawler, a fellow Republican, urged the Trump administration to reverse its decision. Lawler's 17th District includes Spring Valley, home to the second-largest Haitian diaspora, per capita, in the U.S.

While the ban applies to Haitian nationals, some Haitian Americans are speaking out about its broader implications.