By Sarah Morland
(Reuters) – U.S. lawmakers called on the country on Thursday to take further action to stop the flow of firearms into Haiti and to halt the forced return of migrants trying to flee worsening street violence and shortages of essential supplies. .
Democratic congresswomen Ayanna Pressley, Cori Bush and Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick met with human rights advocates and Haitian organizations to call for an extension of Temporary Protected Status for migrants, an end to deportations and stronger controls at Florida ports, which the United Nations considers the main route for trafficking firearms to the gangs that control much of the capital.
Participants included representatives from the Haitian Bridge Alliance, the Florida Immigrant Coalition, the Family Action Network Movement and Amnesty International USA.
Haitian armed groups have further tightened their grip on the Caribbean country since unelected Prime Minister Ariel Henry announced his resignation a month ago, worsening a humanitarian crisis as people live under frequent gunfire while ports remain closed, hospitals lack essential supplies and shops run out of food.
There has been little international reaction beyond strengthening border security.
“We must do everything we can as Americans not to continue to support gangs by providing them with the weapons they need to terrorize the Haitian people,” said Cherfilus-McCormick, the only Haitian-American representative in Congress.
He also called for lawmakers to come together to release most of the roughly $300 million the government has promised to support a security force in Haiti, which is tasked with helping police restore routes for humanitarian supplies.
The force has been suspended while Haiti awaits a new government, a process that was expected to take a couple of days following Henry’s March 11 announcement that he would step down, but which has dragged on for more than a month with the outgoing government has not yet authorized publication. of a decree formalizing the transfer of powers.
Activists at the meeting also asked for clarification from the US government on the possible use of Guantanamo Bay to control immigration after Southern Command General Laura Richardson spoke last month of a “contingency plan” involving the naval base American located on the island of Cuba, without providing further information. details.
The base was last used to detain Haitian and Cuban migrants in the 1990s, when it became infamous for the incarceration of hundreds of people fleeing a coup.
Many Haitians are wary of international interventions after previous UN missions left behind a devastating cholera epidemic and sexual abuse scandals, for which reparations have never been made.