Latest news with #MultinationalSecuritySupportMission
CBS News
2 days ago
- Politics
- CBS News
Rep. Mike Lawler urges removal of troubled Haiti from President Trump's travel ban
Congressman Mike Lawler on Thursday came out against Haiti's inclusion on President Trump's travel ban. The move prevents the entry of foreigners from 12 countries who are seeking to come to the U.S. permanently as legal immigrants, as well as those with temporary visas, including tourists. Lawler is strongly urging the Trump administration to reconsider the full suspension of entry for Haitian nationals. "We have a moral duty to help" Lawler, a Republican who represents all of Rockland and portions of Westchester, Putnam and Dutchess counties in New York, said Haiti's humanitarian crisis, including gang-related atrocities that have resulted in 1,600 killed in the first three months of 2025, is reason enough to embrace the troubled Caribbean nation, not reject its people outright. "Haiti's disaster has been growing, and given our proximity to the nation and our historical interventions. We have a moral duty to help. Haitians cannot do it alone," Lawler said in a statement. "This travel ban will only deepen the suffering of Haitians, many of whom have strong ties to the U.S., including the vibrant Haitian diaspora in the Hudson Valley that I represent in Congress, and risks isolating Haiti further at a time when they need our support most." Back in February, Lawler urged Mr. Trump to maintain Temporary Protected Status for Haitian citizens in the U.S., noting the country's "unstable and dangerous" conditions following the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse, which gave way to a rise in gang violence. "I strongly urge the Trump administration to immediately remove Haiti from this list, or at the very least, reduce it to a partial ban as was done for countries like Cuba and Venezuela," Lawler said. "Last month, Secretary [of State Marco] Rubio testified that the Trump administration is 'prepared to play a leading role' in the Organization of American States and asserted that the UN-authorized Multinational Security Support Mission 'alone will not solve this problem.' I urge the administration to move forward with such a leading role, including a potential security mission led by OAS to end the crisis and lead Haiti on a path to stability." Here are the countries on the travel ban list Citing national security in the wake of last week's terror attack in Boulder, Colorado, Mr. Trump signed a proclamation on Wednesday night that bars travelers from the following countries to enter the U.S. permanently as legal immigrants, as well as those with temporary visas: Afghanistan Myanmar Chad The Republic of the Congo Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Haiti Iran Libya Somalia Sudan Yemen The proclamation also partially suspends the entry of travelers and immigrants from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela. The ban takes effect on Monday.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Opinion - Haiti on the edge of collapse: The US must respond now or it will be too late
Only 10 percent of Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, remains under the control of the Haitian government. And even this last stronghold is now on the verge of collapse, putting the entire population at risk. A religious worker there told me about corpses in the streets, decomposing in broad daylight; women and girls are raped in plain view and children are digging through trash for food. 'The smell of burned bodies is unbearable,' he said. 'It's completely devastating.' Over the past few months, criminal groups have conducted attacks — including killings and sexual violence — in areas previously considered safe, as they seek full control of the capital. They have also committed atrocities to tighten their grip on the population in regions already under their control. Thousands have fled with little more than the clothes on their backs. In my visits to Haiti in recent years, I have documented rape, child recruitment and killings by criminal groups. The violence is growing by the day and is likely to get even worse if criminal groups take full control of Port-au-Prince. Police officers have told me they lack the capacity to respond. Residents have organized their own 'security brigades' and have committed crimes to fend off attacks against their communities. Meanwhile, opposition political leaders and criminal groups have organized massive, often violent protests aimed at ousting the transitional government established in 2024 with support from the U.S. and the Caribbean Community. The Multinational Security Support Mission backed by the United Nations and sent to help stabilize Haiti in 2024 has been chronically underfunded. It only numbers around 1,000 of the promised 2,500 personnel. It needs $600 million to ensure its operations until June. With limited resources, the mission cannot challenge the territorial control of criminal groups, which killed more than 5,000 people last year, and raped thousands of women and girls. U.N. Security Council members, including the U.S., need to stop dragging their feet. They should immediately fund and staff the current international mission, ensuring it has more resources to stabilize Haiti. They should promptly adopt the steps that Secretary General António Guterres has recommended to bolster the Multinational Security forces. Yet even if it ever reaches full deployment, it is doubtful those forces are up to the task. Secretary of State Marco Rubio publicly said as much in February. Haiti needs a full U.N. mission, authorized by the Security Council, that can restore basic security and support Haitian efforts to protect the population, deliver humanitarian aid and progressively rebuild political institutions. The transitional government has called for the Security Council to urgently consider 'proposals for a significant strengthening of international support for the restoration of security in Haiti.' Since President Trump took office in January, the U.S. has taken little if any meaningful action to improve Haitians' security. Although Europe has increased its support for Haiti, these efforts have also fallen short. Diplomats in Europe told me that American inaction at the Security Council has undermined the international response. The U.S. government excuses its failure to act by anticipating that Russia and China would veto a resolution creating a U.N. mission. But Russia and China may change their position if Guterres supports it, and if the U.S. puts its weight and diplomacy behind the proposal — something the Trump administration has not done. Some American policymakers appear focused on addressing the Haitian crisis by seeking to prevent Haitians from fleeing human rights abuses, interdicting them at sea, blocking them from accessing asylum in the U.S., terminating humanitarian parole and refugee resettlement and moving up the date to end temporary protection for Haitians now in the U.S. This approach is legally problematic, morally bankrupt and ultimately self-defeating. It ignores the plight of people suffering unspeakable pain at the hands of criminal groups. It also fails to recognize that having a country largely controlled by criminal groups only 700 miles away from American shores will inevitably affect U.S. interests and make these groups even harder to dismantle over time. If the criminal groups consolidate power, both Haiti and the region risk becoming an even greater trafficking hub for drugs, weapons and people. This will cause more people to flee, but the Trump administration's dismantling of safe pathways means asylum seekers will be forced into ever more dangerous journeys. The U.S. also bears a responsibility to curb the flow of the weapons fueling Haiti's violence. Most of the guns used by criminal groups are made in America and smuggled through Florida, where most outgoing packages are never run through an X-ray machine. Strengthening inspections would be a critical step to cutting off weapon supplies. 'Haitians are losing hope; they feel the international community has abandoned them to their own fate,' an international humanitarian worker told me. 'Many victims, including children, who come looking for food, ask me, 'Why is this happening to us? What did we do wrong? Why has the world forgotten us?' Without American support to bolster the international response, Port-au-Prince's collapse may be inevitable. The window for an effective international response is rapidly closing — the time for decisive action is now. Nathalye Cotrino is a senior Americas researcher at Human Rights Watch. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
15-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Haiti on the edge of collapse: The US must respond now or it will be too late
Only 10 percent of Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, remains under the control of the Haitian government. And even this last stronghold is now on the verge of collapse, putting the entire population at risk. A religious worker there told me about corpses in the streets, decomposing in broad daylight; women and girls are raped in plain view and children are digging through trash for food. 'The smell of burned bodies is unbearable,' he said. 'It's completely devastating.' Over the past few months, criminal groups have conducted attacks — including killings and sexual violence — in areas previously considered safe, as they seek full control of the capital. They have also committed atrocities to tighten their grip on the population in regions already under their control. Thousands have fled with little more than the clothes on their backs. In my visits to Haiti in recent years, I have documented rape, child recruitment and killings by criminal groups. The violence is growing by the day and is likely to get even worse if criminal groups take full control of Port-au-Prince. Police officers have told me they lack the capacity to respond. Residents have organized their own 'security brigades' and have committed crimes to fend off attacks against their communities. Meanwhile, opposition political leaders and criminal groups have organized massive, often violent protests aimed at ousting the transitional government established in 2024 with support from the U.S. and the Caribbean Community. The Multinational Security Support Mission backed by the United Nations and sent to help stabilize Haiti in 2024 has been chronically underfunded. It only numbers around 1,000 of the promised 2,500 personnel. It needs $600 million to ensure its operations until June. With limited resources, the mission cannot challenge the territorial control of criminal groups, which killed more than 5,000 people last year, and raped thousands of women and girls. U.N. Security Council members, including the U.S., need to stop dragging their feet. They should immediately fund and staff the current international mission, ensuring it has more resources to stabilize Haiti. They should promptly adopt the steps that Secretary General António Guterres has recommended to bolster the Multinational Security forces. Yet even if it ever reaches full deployment, it is doubtful those forces are up to the task. Secretary of State Marco Rubio publicly said as much in February. Haiti needs a full U.N. mission, authorized by the Security Council, that can restore basic security and support Haitian efforts to protect the population, deliver humanitarian aid and progressively rebuild political institutions. The transitional government has called for the Security Council to urgently consider 'proposals for a significant strengthening of international support for the restoration of security in Haiti.' Since President Trump took office in January, the U.S. has taken little if any meaningful action to improve Haitians' security. Although Europe has increased its support for Haiti, these efforts have also fallen short. Diplomats in Europe told me that American inaction at the Security Council has undermined the international response. The U.S. government excuses its failure to act by anticipating that Russia and China would veto a resolution creating a U.N. mission. But Russia and China may change their position if Guterres supports it, and if the U.S. puts its weight and diplomacy behind the proposal — something the Trump administration has not done. Some American policymakers appear focused on addressing the Haitian crisis by seeking to prevent Haitians from fleeing human rights abuses, interdicting them at sea, blocking them from accessing asylum in the U.S., terminating humanitarian parole and refugee resettlement and moving up the date to end temporary protection for Haitians now in the U.S. This approach is legally problematic, morally bankrupt and ultimately self-defeating. It ignores the plight of people suffering unspeakable pain at the hands of criminal groups. It also fails to recognize that having a country largely controlled by criminal groups only 700 miles away from American shores will inevitably affect U.S. interests and make these groups even harder to dismantle over time. If the criminal groups consolidate power, both Haiti and the region risk becoming an even greater trafficking hub for drugs, weapons and people. This will cause more people to flee, but the Trump administration's dismantling of safe pathways means asylum seekers will be forced into ever more dangerous journeys. The U.S. also bears a responsibility to curb the flow of the weapons fueling Haiti's violence. Most of the guns used by criminal groups are made in America and smuggled through Florida, where most outgoing packages are never run through an X-ray machine. Strengthening inspections would be a critical step to cutting off weapon supplies. 'Haitians are losing hope; they feel the international community has abandoned them to their own fate,' an international humanitarian worker told me. 'Many victims, including children, who come looking for food, ask me, 'Why is this happening to us? What did we do wrong? Why has the world forgotten us?' Without American support to bolster the international response, Port-au-Prince's collapse may be inevitable. The window for an effective international response is rapidly closing — the time for decisive action is now. Nathalye Cotrino is a senior Americas researcher at Human Rights Watch.
Straits Times
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Dominican Republic, Kenya call for funds for struggling Haiti security effort
Dominican Foreign Minister Roberto Alvarez speaks after signing a bilateral agreement in support of Kenyan police officers deployed in the Multinational Security Support Mission in Haiti, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, May 12, 2025. REUTERS/Erika Santelices Kenya's Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi and Dominican Foreign Minister Roberto Alvarez walk on the day they sign a bilateral agreement in support of Kenyan police officers deployed in the Multinational Security Support Mission in Haiti, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, May 12, 2025. REUTERS/Erika Santelices Kenya's Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi and Dominican Foreign Minister Roberto Alvarez speak after signing a bilateral agreement in support of Kenyan police officers deployed in the Multinational Security Support Mission in Haiti, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, May 12, 2025. REUTERS/Erika Santelices Kenya's Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi and Dominican Foreign Minister Roberto Alvarez sign a bilateral agreement in support of Kenyan police officers deployed in the Multinational Security Support Mission in Haiti, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, May 12, 2025. REUTERS/Erika Santelices Kenya's Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi and Dominican Foreign Minister Roberto Alvarez pose for a picture after signing a bilateral agreement in support of Kenyan police officers deployed in the Multinational Security Support Mission in Haiti, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, May 12, 2025. REUTERS/Erika Santelices The top diplomats from Kenya and the Dominican Republic met in Santo Domingo on Monday and called on the international community to fulfill and expand its promised funding for the UN-backed security mission in neighboring Haiti. WHY IT'S IMPORTANT Dominican Foreign Minister Roberto Alvarez and his Kenyan counterpart Musalia Mudavadi warned that the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission in Haiti is struggling to fight the country's worsening gang violence effectively due to a lack of funding and logistical support. BY THE NUMBERS Kenya deployed officers to the MSS in June 2024. The mission includes around 1,000 personnel, with approximately 75% from Kenya. In the first three months of 2025 alone, over 1,600 people were killed in Haiti, and more than 1 million displaced, according to UN estimates. KEY QUOTES Both ministers "acknowledged that the Mission has been unable to be more effective due to the lack of financial and material resources necessary for the full and complete deployment of the troops stationed there," according to an official statement. They urged the international community to "fulfill the contributions offered, and even increase them, so that the mission can fully operate." CONTEXT Heavily armed gangs have expanded their control in Haiti this year as the MSS and local police struggle to contain escalating violence. The mission, led by Kenya and authorized by the UN Security Council in 2023, remains only partially deployed due to unmet funding pledges. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
The Star
13-05-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Dominican Republic, Kenya call for funds for struggling Haiti security effort
Kenya's Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi and Dominican Foreign Minister Roberto Alvarez pose for a picture after signing a bilateral agreement in support of Kenyan police officers deployed in the Multinational Security Support Mission in Haiti, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, May 12, 2025. REUTERS/Erika Santelices The top diplomats from Kenya and the Dominican Republic met in Santo Domingo on Monday and called on the international community to fulfill and expand its promised funding for the UN-backed security mission in neighboring Haiti. WHY IT'S IMPORTANT Dominican Foreign Minister Roberto Alvarez and his Kenyan counterpart Musalia Mudavadi warned that the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission in Haiti is struggling to fight the country's worsening gang violence effectively due to a lack of funding and logistical support. BY THE NUMBERS Kenya deployed officers to the MSS in June 2024. The mission includes around 1,000 personnel, with approximately 75% from Kenya. In the first three months of 2025 alone, over 1,600 people were killed in Haiti, and more than 1 million displaced, according to UN estimates. KEY QUOTES Both ministers "acknowledged that the Mission has been unable to be more effective due to the lack of financial and material resources necessary for the full and complete deployment of the troops stationed there," according to an official statement. They urged the international community to "fulfill the contributions offered, and even increase them, so that the mission can fully operate." CONTEXT Heavily armed gangs have expanded their control in Haiti this year as the MSS and local police struggle to contain escalating violence. The mission, led by Kenya and authorized by the UN Security Council in 2023, remains only partially deployed due to unmet funding pledges. (Reporting by Natalia Siniawski; Additional reporting by Harold Isaac; Editing by Leslie Adler)
