Lawmakers Urge More Action to Curb Illegal Gun Exports to Haiti
More than 60 Senate and House Democrats on Sept. 27 called on the Biden administration, including the Bureau of Industry and Security, to take more steps to stop the illegal trafficking of U.S.-made guns to Haiti.
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Despite an international arms embargo on Haiti (see 2310240072), guns flood into that country through an underground market, fueling widespread gang violence, the lawmakers said in a letter led by Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass.; Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Ben Cardin, D-Md.; Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, D-Fla.; and House Foreign Affairs Committee ranking member Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y.
“Cracking down on the flow of illegal weapons that are facilitating rampant gang violence in Haiti advances U.S. security,” the letter says. “It is also a moral imperative. After decades of failed U.S. foreign policy in Haiti, we must not allow American weapons to further fuel instability in the country.”
The letter recommends that BIS assign more employees to address the issue. BIS “is responsible for enforcing most export controls yet does not have personnel present in the Caribbean,” the letter says. “BIS should dedicate more staff to focus on disrupting arms trafficking to Haiti and other parts of the Caribbean, including through dedicated personnel stationed in the region. This localized presence would facilitate better intelligence gathering and coordination with U.S., regional, and local authorities, and enhance efforts to intercept illegal arms shipments.”
The lawmakers also suggest that DOJ and DHS, along with the Commerce and State departments, implement an interagency strategy to stop the illegal flow of arms. “As part of this effort, we ask the interagency to collect and report to Congress data about arms export trends, arms trafficking trends, and efforts to disrupt illegal firearm exports,” the letter says. "This strategy development and reporting will help identify any gaps in authorities or resources needed to end the United States’ complicity in this ongoing crisis."
The letter recommends that CBP and Homeland Security Investigations expand the screening of ships that could contain Haiti-bound firearms. The lawmakers also want DOJ's Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to increase the tracing of firearms recovered in Haiti to identify who sold them. ATF also is encouraged to require the reporting of multiple semi-automatic rifle sales in Florida and other key states that supply Haiti.
The administration had no immediate comment on the letter other than a DHS spokesperson saying the agency would respond to the authors directly.