WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Representatives Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-Fla.), and Gregory W. Meeks (D-N.Y.), Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, led a letter to the Departments of State (State), Homeland Security (DHS), Commerce (Commerce), and Justice (DOJ), urging them to strengthen steps to prevent the flow of illegal firearms from the United States into Haiti.
Since the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse in 2021, armed gangs have consolidated power in Haiti. As violence rose, there was an influx of gun trafficking into Haiti. Though the country itself does not manufacture guns, there are an estimated 500,000 firearms in the country, and the United States is the number one source of these guns, often making their way through Florida.
As a result, gangs have outgunned and overpowered the Haitian National Police and other security forces, leading to the displacement of over 300,000 Haitians over the past year alone.
“The escalation of firepower contributes to gangs’ capacity to terrorize civilians (including through systematic sexual violence), contributes to internal displacement, and directly impedes efforts by security forces working to regain control of the country,” wrote the lawmakers.
The lawmakers are pushing five recommendations to strengthen the administration’s current efforts, including increased staffing and stricter screening of packages going to Haiti and other parts of the Caribbean. The lawmakers also recommend the DOJ’s Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) implement a strategy to increase the number of firearms recovered in Haiti that are submitted for tracing in order to identify gun traffickers and dealers who sell to them.
The lawmakers are also calling for an expansion of the “Demand Letter 3” program, which requires federal firearms licensees in certain states to notify ATF if they sell someone multiple semi-automatic rifles in a five-day period. This letter calls for expanding the program to include key states where Haiti’s trafficked assault weapons originate — including Florida.
“Cracking down on the flow of illegal weapons that are facilitating rampant gang violence in Haiti advances U.S. security. It is also a moral imperative,” continued the lawmakers.
The following senators joined in signing: Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).
The following Representatives joined in signing: Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y.), Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), Joaquin Castro (D-Texas), Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.), Alma Adams, Ph.D. (D-N.C.), Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), Debbie Wassmerman Schultz (D-Fla.), Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.), Frederica Wilson, (D-Fla.), Lois Frankel (D-Fla.), Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.), Dina Titus (D-Nev.), Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.), Grace Meng (D-N.Y.), Jonathan Jackson (D-Ill.), Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-Calif.), Sylvia R. Garcia (D-Texas), Bill Keating (D-Mass.), Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), Tom Suozzi (D-N.Y.), Steven Horsford (D-Nev.), Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas), Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.), Mike Quigley (D-Ill.), Jahana Hayes (D-Conn.), Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), Jesús García (D-Ill.), Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), Greg Casar (D-Texas), André Carson (D-Ind.), Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio), Kathy Castor (D-Fla.), Darren Soto (D-Fla.), Gabe Amo (D-R.I.), Jennifer McClellan (D-Va.), Danny Davis (D-Ill.), Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), Robin Kelly (D-Ill.), Madeleine Dean (D-Pa.), Marilyn Strickland (D-Wash.), and Seth Magaziner (D-Mass.).Barbara Lee (D-Calif), Maxwell Alejandro Frost (D-Fla.), Katie Porter (D-Calif.), Dwight Evans (D-Pa.), Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.).
"The Haitian people are enduring one of the worst humanitarian and security crises in their history, fueled in part by the failure of the United States to stop the flow of illegal guns into Haiti," said Chair Cardin. “This effort, supported by colleagues in both the Senate and House, puts forward commonsense measures the Biden administration can take now to help end our complicity in this tragedy. It’s a decisive and practical step toward fulfilling our responsibility to help bring peace and stability to the Haitian people.”
“Weapons produced in the U.S. and trafficked to Haiti and our Caribbean neighbors has undermined regional stability and threatened U.S. national security. It is critical that we strengthen our efforts to disrupt the illegal flow of arms, bolster interagency coordination, and fully utilize the tools at our disposal, including enhanced firearm tracing and increased monitoring of cargo leaving our ports. We produced and allowed these weapons to flow past our borders. We have a responsibility to act,” said Ranking Member Gregory W. Meeks.
“The influx of illegal arms into Haiti is contributing to unprecedented levels of violence and political instability, putting innocent lives at risk,” said Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick. “Despite international laws prohibiting the export of weapons to Haiti, the black market for firearms continues to thrive, with guns manufactured in the U.S. and smuggled from Florida playing a significant role in the turmoil. This illicit arms trade is undermining Haiti’s security and economic stability, making it extremely challenging for the country to rebuild its institutions and economy. Haiti is in our backyard, and instability in Haiti poses significant risks to the United States and the region. I look forward to the Biden-Harris administration fully utilizing all the tools at their disposal to stop the illicit arms flow to Haiti.”
Full text of the letter is available HERE.
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