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Statement on February 7, 2024

Today is an important day in Haiti. It marks the end of the Duvalier dictatorship in 1986 and later became the day that Haiti's presidents hand over power to an elected successor. On this February 7, however, Haiti has no president nor any elected national officials. On this February 7, the unelected de facto prime minister, Ariel Henry, holds all the power.

Haiti is mired in chaos, with criminal gangs in control of 80% of the capital, an 83% increase in kidnappings for ransom over last year, and widespread food insecurity, according to the UN special envoy to Haiti. While negotiations between Henry and opposition groups have made little progress since he assumed power after the assassination of Jovenel Moïse more than two and a half years ago, the Biden Administration has continued to provide Henry with political support, giving him no incentive to step down.

Recent polls show that Henry is unpopular with the Haitian people, who did not vote for him to be prime minister. His lack of legitimacy is a major reason for the power vacuum and the violence that goes with it. There is also evidence linking Henry to Haiti's gangs.

The large number of small arms and ammunition that have saturated Haitian society turn a power vacuum into a crisis. The vast majority of weapons and the ammunition are coming from the United States, and without them, the gangs and their political supporters would lose their power. A March 2023 UN report identified five U.S. states with lax gun laws as the primary sources of illegal arms trafficking to Haiti. Criminal actors purchase the weapons in the United States and smuggle them into Haiti. Some weapons also make it into Haiti legally, by means of Haiti's corrupt government andthe U.S. Commerce Department's lax granting of export licenses.

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Tell Congress to End Illegal Arms Trafficking from the US to Haiti

Weapons trafficked from the United States are a major factor in the violence in Haiti, where criminal gangs control of 80% of the capital and kidnappings are widespread. There is also a crisis of governance, with no elected national officials, and the current de facto prime minister holds power without legitimacy. The large number of weapons and ammunition from the U.S. in Haiti has turned this power vacuum into a crisis.

Join us in calling on your Representatives to support the ARMAS Act, which would take comprehensive measures to prevent arms from falling into the hands of gangs in Haiti, helping put an end to the extreme violence and insecurity in Haiti.

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The Quixote Center and Franciscan Network on Migration Call on Congress to Vote Against Anti-Immigrant Proposals

Update: the supplemental bill with anti-immigrant provisions failed to pass in the Senate, but we are wary of future anti-immigration amendments as the Senate will debate the bill in coming weeks.

"On February 4th, a group of Senators in partnership with the White House released a bill text that details extreme proposals to roll back asylum access in exchange for passing military funding to Israel and Ukraine. Together, the Franciscan Network on Migration and the Quixote Center released the following response.

"We are greatly dismayed by the inhumane and anti-immigrant policies that our elected officials are proposing in exchange for a more militarized world. The U.S. refugee and asylum systems were created in response to the horrific failure of the U.S. to accept Jewish refugees fleeing the Holocaust," stated the Quixote Center and the Franciscan Network for Migration.

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Join us in calling for a ceasefire on Ash Wednesday

Join the Quixote Center and other faith-based organizations on February 14th, 11 am at Lafayette Park in an Ash Wednesday mass for a ceasefire. Ashes will be distributed. Soon after 12 PM, join in a prayerful ecumenical public witness calling for a ceasefire and for a just peace in the Holy Land.

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BHM: Artist Corner

Dieudonné Cédor

"Untitled (Village Scene," (1987) Dieudonne Cedor (1925-2010), Courtesy of Haitian Arts Society ([link removed])

According to the Haitian Arts Society ([link removed]):

"Dieudonné Cédor was a Haitian painter. Born in Anse-à-Veau, Cédor had his work displayed around the world, with exhibits in Guatemala, Mexico, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Miami, Venezuela, Colombia, and Panama. In 1967, he painted a mural for the Port-au-Prince International Airport."

 
"Bois Caiman-1791," (1948) Dieudonne Cedor (1925-2010), Courtesy of Haitian Arts Society ([link removed])

"Three Sailboats," Dieudonne Cedor (1925-2010), Courtesy of Haitian Arts Society ([link removed])

"Untitled Woodcut," (1947) Dieudonne Cedor (1925-2010), Courtesy of Haitian Arts Society ([link removed])

 
 
 

 

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