South Florida lawmakers want Trump administration to halt flow of illegal weapons to Haiti from US
By Sergio R. Bustos
August 1, 2025 at 7:45 PM EDT
Several South Florida lawmakers want the Trump administration to stop the flow of illegal weapons and ammunition from the U.S., mainly Florida, to Haiti.
U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, D-Miramar, said Friday that she and more than 30 congressional colleagues signed a letter with their recommendations to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem.
Cherfilus-McCormick said Haiti "has seen a staggering influx of illicit U.S.-origin weapons — primarily funneled through South Florida."
She and the other lawmakers say 90% of illegal Caribbean-bound firearms shipments originated in Florida, including through the Miami River and Port Everglades.
READ MORE: Haiti's gangs have 'near-total control' of the capital, U.N. says
"These weapons are enabling gangs that now control over 90% of the capital, Port-au-Prince, to commit mass violence, displace over a million people, and kill thousands."
Gang violence began surging in Haiti following the July 2021 killing of President Jovenel Moïse.
In a report released Friday, the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti noted that at least 1,520 people were killed and more than 600 injured from April to the end of June. Nearly 80% of those incidents happened in Port-au-Prince, with nearly 20% reported in Haiti’s central region.
More than 60% of the killings and injuries occurred during operations by security forces against gangs, with another 12% blamed on self-defense groups.
The congressional lawmakers said the crisis in the Caribbean country threatens the U.S.
“The unabated flow of illicit arms to Haiti doesn’t just represent a threat to the safety of millions of Haitians on the island —it threatens U.S. national security as the instability created by gangs using U.S.-manufactured weapons drives outward migration” the lawmakers wrote to Trump administration officials.
Nearly 75% of firearms recovered and traced in the Caribbean could be linked to the United States, according to a Government Accountability Office report issued last year. Many of those weapons were initially sold through legal U.S. retail channels before being trafficked abroad.
In April, Cherfilus-McCormick, the only Haitian-American in Congress, introduced the Caribbean Anti-Smuggling of Trafficked Arms Act. It's pending in House Committee on Armed Services.
Among the lawmakers' recommendations:
Rep. Lois Frankel, D-Boca Raton, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Weston and Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Miami Gardens.
Read the letter here.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, D-Miramar, said Friday that she and more than 30 congressional colleagues signed a letter with their recommendations to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem.
Cherfilus-McCormick said Haiti "has seen a staggering influx of illicit U.S.-origin weapons — primarily funneled through South Florida."
She and the other lawmakers say 90% of illegal Caribbean-bound firearms shipments originated in Florida, including through the Miami River and Port Everglades.
READ MORE: Haiti's gangs have 'near-total control' of the capital, U.N. says
"These weapons are enabling gangs that now control over 90% of the capital, Port-au-Prince, to commit mass violence, displace over a million people, and kill thousands."
Gang violence began surging in Haiti following the July 2021 killing of President Jovenel Moïse.
In a report released Friday, the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti noted that at least 1,520 people were killed and more than 600 injured from April to the end of June. Nearly 80% of those incidents happened in Port-au-Prince, with nearly 20% reported in Haiti’s central region.
More than 60% of the killings and injuries occurred during operations by security forces against gangs, with another 12% blamed on self-defense groups.
The congressional lawmakers said the crisis in the Caribbean country threatens the U.S.
“The unabated flow of illicit arms to Haiti doesn’t just represent a threat to the safety of millions of Haitians on the island —it threatens U.S. national security as the instability created by gangs using U.S.-manufactured weapons drives outward migration” the lawmakers wrote to Trump administration officials.
Nearly 75% of firearms recovered and traced in the Caribbean could be linked to the United States, according to a Government Accountability Office report issued last year. Many of those weapons were initially sold through legal U.S. retail channels before being trafficked abroad.
In April, Cherfilus-McCormick, the only Haitian-American in Congress, introduced the Caribbean Anti-Smuggling of Trafficked Arms Act. It's pending in House Committee on Armed Services.
Among the lawmakers' recommendations:
- Increase screening of outgoing cargo from high-risk ports in South Florida by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials.
- Partner with the U.S. Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms to trace weapons recovered in Haiti, mirroring U.S. efforts used in Mexico.
- Close shipping loopholes that "allow anonymous packages under $2,500 in declared value."
- Collaborate with the neighboring Dominican Republic to intercept arms moving through its territory.
Rep. Lois Frankel, D-Boca Raton, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Weston and Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Miami Gardens.
Read the letter here.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.