As Haiti continues to struggle with rampant gang violence and this week’s sudden resignation of interim Prime Minister Ariel Henry, experts are warning of the serious implications of Haiti’s state failure for U.S. national security.
Haiti has been in near constant turmoil since the assassination of President Juvenel Moïse in 2021, resulting in unbridled corruption and poverty as well as increased violence.
Some 70,000 Haitians will flock to the U.S. border in 2023 amid a surge in gang violence, and U.S. leaders like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis are warning of the possibility of another influx of migrants. Still concerned, experts warn that the threat to U.S. security could extend beyond immigration.
Men on motorcycles pass a burning tire during a demonstration against Prime Minister Ariel Henry’s resignation in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, March 12, 2024. (Clarence Cifroy/AFP via Getty Images)
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“A failed state dominated by criminals, drug traffickers, mass murderers, and gangs so close to the U.S. mainland is not in U.S. foreign policy interests,” said Eddie Acevedo, chief of staff and senior adviser at the Wilson Center think tank. ” he told Fox News. Digital.
”[The] The biggest threat facing the United States with respect to Haiti is further destabilization within the country, which could endanger the lives of millions of Haitians and put them at risk for mass migration. Acevedo, a former USAID national security adviser, said.
While immigration remains a top concern for many in the United States, former National Security Council Senior Director for the Western Hemisphere Juan Cruz told Fox News Digital that the impact of Haiti’s complete collapse cannot be overlooked. .
A pedestrian walks past soldiers guarding the area around the international airport in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on March 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Oderin Joseph)
“It’s not in anyone’s interest to turn Haiti upside down,” Cruz said. “Do we want to bring lawless Haiti so close to the United States, making it a friendly place for drug traffickers, or do we want to use it as a stepping stone to what we usually call the third border? ?Or do you want Haiti to cause a crisis in Haiti, where the neighboring Dominican Republic has a government that is friendly to the United States?”
Haitian gangs have not only killed more than 3,700 people. They took over 80% of the capital, Port-au-Prince, closed the airport and released thousands of prisoners from the country’s two largest prisons, sparking an international reaction.
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Violence erupted in the Solino neighborhood near Haiti’s capital, with distraught residents calling on a radio station for help. (AP Photo/Oderin Joseph)
“The priority now is to address the security situation in Haiti. Without stabilizing Haiti’s security environment, neither elections nor a viable political solution can move forward,” Acevedo explained. “The Haitian National Police is trying to confront and repel the gangs, but if the cavalry doesn’t arrive soon, Haiti will fall.”
Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Kenyan President William Ruto on Thursday and encouraged Kenya to send the 1,000-strong police force it promised last year under the Multinational Security Assistance Mission.
The United States, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Canada, France, Brazil and Mexico are also pushing for a transitional government to prevent a gang takeover.
Cruz noted that it is not only in the Haitian people’s interest to establish a stable government to quell the violence. This is because it may mean a long stay for the countries directly involved.
A police officer throws tear gas at demonstrators during a protest in Carrefour-Feuilles, Port-au-Prince, Haiti, August 14, 2023. (Richard Pierin/AFP via Getty Images)
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“The problem is those countries. They’re all being bitten,” Cruz said, citing the United States, France, Brazil and Canada.
“Everyone participated, everyone paid a price. We’ve all been there. We’ve all seen this movie unfold, and it didn’t end well. Someday… I’m afraid we’ll see a situation like that with non-Kenyan boots on the ground. ”
