Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick and Eleven Members of Congress Urge President Biden to Impose Sanctions on Those Financing Gangs in the Republic of Haiti
Washington, DC- Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick released the following statement: “I am deeply concerned regarding the ongoing political and insecurity crises in the Republic of Haiti.
“A year after the assassination of former President Jovenel Moïse, the country lacks a democratically elected government. Haiti has fallen into a more profound political uncertainty since 2021. There is still no elected president, legislators, or mayors. The people of Haiti are being terrorized, raped, murdered, and kidnapped daily by emboldened gangs financed and supported by powerful elites. Over the past several months, the pervasive insecurity has resulted in massive protests against the government’s complicity, failures to protect citizens, and high inflation.
“The power vacuum has allowed as many as 200 gangs in Haiti, and they control 60% of Port-Au-Prince, key ports, and roads, although the country does not manufacture weapons.
“Therefore, I urge President Biden to impose sanctions under the Global Magnitsky Act on known perpetrators and entities from the private and public sectors responsible for financing the insecurity in the country. We must cancel their visas and freeze assets. These acts pose significant national security threats to the United States and the entire region. In addition, the criminal actors must be placed on the terrorist watch list.
“It is vital that these sanctions target oligarchs, political elites, high-level corrupt politicians, U.S. citizens, and U.S. residents who finance extrajudicial killings, torture, and kidnappings of innocent Haitian nationals and, in some cases, American citizens. Their actions have led to an increased flow of irregular migration. We have an obligation to disrupt their ability to serve as destabilizing forces yet enjoy the ability to access U.S. financial institutions and vacation in the United States freely.
“In addition, I wish to reiterate my request for the Biden Administration to withdraw support for the de facto Prime Minister, Dr. Ariel Henry, appoint a special envoy to Haiti, extend and redesignate Temporary Protected Status ((TPS), invite Haitian nationals to apply for the Haitian Family Reunification Parole (HFRP), and halt repatriation to the country.
“The insecurity crisis in the Republic of Haiti is dire, and the Haitian people are living in terror daily. The Biden administration has a moral and legal obligation to use every tool at its disposal to protect the national security and strategic interests of the United States and the region. We must act swiftly.”