In an interview with the Associated Press, Ariel Henry dismissed opponents who accused him of wanting to stay in power and said mistrust was one of the biggest challenges he faced.

Henry said the referendum was a priority because the current constitution was rejected by a majority of political figures and civil society leaders.

He also said an electoral council that would be responsible for setting dates had yet to be named after he recently dissolved the previous provisional council.

"The elections must be held as soon as possible," he said as he lamented the lack of trust among Haitians.

"People don't believe what is being said."

After being postponed several times this year, presidential and legislative elections were scheduled to be held November 7, along with the constitutional referendum.

But the assassination of President Jovenel Moise at his home on July 7 upended those plans.

Henry also criticised how the US government recently treated Haitian migrants along the US-Mexico border, where it expelled more than 2300.

"We don't understand the way that our compatriots were treated," he said.

Henry's comments on Tuesday came just hours before the arrival in Port-au-Prince of Assistant Secretary of State Brian Nichols, who is seeking to contain the fallout from the abrupt resignation last week of the US special envoy to Haiti.

Daniel Foote quit the post over the deportations at the border, saying it was inhumane to return the migrants, many of whom fled the island following the devastating 2010 earthquake, to a country buffeted by gang violence, a collapsed economy and political turmoil.

Australian Associated Press