On Wednesday, the United States House of Representatives’ Haiti Caucus condemned the Trump administration’s 90-day halt on foreign funding, including a freeze on a US$15 million committed contribution for the United Nations Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission in Haiti.
“We are deeply disappointed that the Trump administration is halting necessary and life-saving assistance to Haiti, which continues to grapple with an ongoing political, security, and humanitarian crisis,” said Co-Chairs Yvette D. Clarke of New York, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts and Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick of Florida in a joint statement.
They noted that, under the previous administration of President Joe Biden, the US committed to over US$15 million in aid for Haiti through the UN trust fund.
However, they said only US$1.7 million has already been spent, restricting access to over US$13 million.
“This decision comes at the absolute worst time, especially for Haitian nationals who are now at risk of losing their Temporary Protected Status (TPS) under this administration – putting them back into a very volatile and dangerous environment,” said the co-chairs.
“We have a responsibility to honor the commitment we made to support Haitian stability and the safety of all its people,” added Clarke, Pressley, and Cherfilus-McCormick. “We cannot send Haitians who have sought legal refuge in the US back to a country overrun by gangs and violence without assistance and taking every effort to ensure their safety.”
Clarke, the daughter of Jamaican immigrants, is also chair of the Congressional Black Caucus.
She represents the 9th Congressional District in Brooklyn, which comprises the second-largest concentration of Haitian immigrants in the United States after Miami.
The UN said on Tuesday that the Trump administration notified it about some aid freeze to Haiti.
“The US had committed US$15 million to the trust fund; US$1.7 million of that had already been spent, so US$13.3 million is now frozen,” UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters.
“We received an official notification from the US asking for an immediate stop work order on their contribution,” he added, warning that freeze will have an “immediate impact” on Haiti and the Kenya-led mission.
The Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission in Haiti comprises about nearly 900 police officers and troops from Kenya, Jamaica, Belize, Guatemala, and El Salvador.
The UN said on Tuesday that the human rights situation in Haiti remains “very alarming.”
Gang violence continues to have a “devastating impact” on the population, according to a new report from the UN office in the country, BINUH, on human rights violations recorded during the last quarter of 2024.
Released on Tuesday, the new report highlights that at least 5,626 people have been killed and more than 2,213 injured in the past year due to the armed gangs who control much of the capital and the country at large.
The UN said these figures reflect a “sharp increase” of over 1,000 fatalities compared to 2023, “underscoring the unrelenting brutality gripping the nation.”
According to BINUH, the last quarter of 2024 saw an “alarming rise” in deadly gang-related attacks.
BINUH said at least 1,732 people were killed and 411 injured due to violence by armed groups, self-defense units, and law enforcement operations.
The report highlights three large-scale massacres that resulted in over 300 deaths, with the most severe attack occurring in the Wharf Jérémie neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, the Haitian capital.
The report says that between Dec. 6 and 11, at least 207 people were “slaughtered” by a gang led by Monel Felix, known as “Micanor,” who accused the mainly elderly victims of practicing voodoo and being responsible for the death of his child.
“The armed gang executed people in their homes and a local place of worship before burning or dismembering bodies to conceal evidence,” the report says. “No law enforcement intervention was reported during the five-day attack.”
The report says similar atrocities took place in Pont Sondé and Petite Rivière de l’Artibonite, where coordinated gang offensives left at least 170 people dead in early December.
“The murders sparked reprisals by self-defense groups, further intensifying the violence,” the report says.
The UN’s High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, emphasized the “critical need to restore the rule of law” and called on the international community to ensure the full deployment of the MSS mission.
The UN has also urged regional governments to intensify inspections of arms shipments destined for Haiti, in line with Security Council resolutions.
