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The Foreign Terrorist Designation

On May 2 the United States Department of State designated ([link removed]) Haiti's most powerful gangs, the Viv Ansanm gang coalition and the Gran Grif gang, as foreign terrorist organizations and "specially designated global terrorists." Gran Grif is the most powerful gang in the Artibonite department, which is the location of the commune of Gros Morne and Quixote Center's long term partners. Viv Ansanm operates in Port-au-Prince and has been responsible for terrorizing the population and attacks on infrastructure, such as the airport.

These US counter-terrorism measures bar members of the designated gangs from accessing financial institutions with a US link, and block their access to US property and visas. US citizens are prohibited from conducting business with designated persons, meaning people who have been identified as gang members, or they risk criminal charges and secondary sanctions.

We appreciate the attempt of the US government to curtail the power of Haiti's gangs, but this is not the way to do it. Gangs are in control of roads throughout the country, where they extort tolls from literally everyone for safe passage. In order to survive, travel to their farm fields or schools, or take products to market, regular people have to pay tolls to gangs. Similarly, NGOs, churches, and other non-profit entities have to pay tolls to get humanitarian assistance to where it is needed most. They don't have any choice. Quixote Center, along with all of the other humanitarian groups working in Haiti, is concerned that these counter-terrorism measures could ensnare innocent people and organizations.

Access to banking services is another concern. The threat of criminal charges and the lack of clarity about who is and who is not a gang member, could lead banks and other financial institutions, such as Western Union or MoneyGram, to cease doing business in Haiti. Without the ability to transfer funds, outside humanitarian assistance ends. US policy ([link removed]) allows for exemptions from sanctions regimes, including those for terrorist activity, for certain humanitarian activities; however none of the statements related to the Haiti designations have clarified whether those exemptions will apply or how to obtain an exemption.

The US government has used the foreign terrorist designation, when applied to the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, as an excuse to round up Venezuelan migrants in the United States and expel them to El Salvadoran gulags without due process. Because there was no legal hearing before expulsion, there is no proof one way another about whether the people who were expelled were actually members of a gang. Innocent people should not have to live in fear of expulsion just because they are Venezuelan, or in this case, Haitian.
There are better ways to curtail the power of Haiti's gangs:
* End illegal trafficking of weapons and ammunition from the United States to Haiti. You can sign our petition to Department of Homeland Security here ([link removed]). In the coming weeks we will also invite your support for congressional action.
* Targeted sanctions aimed at Haiti's political and economic elites who finance gangs and benefit from gang violence. The bipartisan Haiti Criminal Collusion Transparency Act ([link removed]) addresses this issue, and has already been introduced in the House. We expect a Senate version shortly, at which time we will provide an opportunity for you to send letters to your Members of Congress in support of the bill.
* Continue financial support for economic development programs that provide sustainable paths out of poverty and desperation for Haiti's population. People, especially young people, join armed groups when they have few other options for earning a living and supporting their families.
Quixote Center is working to make progress on all three of these points. We thank you for your support. We cannot do this work without it.

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Sign our PETITION:
Suggested Actions to Stem Crisis in Haiti

Haiti is suffering from an acute humanitarian crisis of violence and food insecurity, fueled by weapons and ammunition trafficked from the United States. Over a million Haitians are displaced as a result of the violence, and everyone is living in fear. In this context, the United States is rescinding Temporary Protected Status for Haitians who are here legally, and is continuing to deport Haitians back to Haiti, a country that is in no position to receive them.

We are collecting signatures for the Department of Homeland Security to end illegal trafficking of weapons and ammunition to Haiti, to protect Haitians already in this country, and to end deportation flights to Haiti. We plan to deliver the petitions in person at a public action and press conference in May.

We invite you to sign the petition, and forward it to your friends and colleagues. Thank you for your support.

Petition ([link removed])

 

Oppose Attacks on Immigrants Paid for by Cutting Medicaid

On May 14th, the Quixote Center joined a coalition of immigration rights groups and trade unions for a day of action to ask Congress to oppose a bill that would transform the country far beyond this presidential term. The reconciliation Bill ([link removed]) that the Administration is pushing through Congress would be the largest transfer of wealth ([link removed]) from hard-working, low-income families to the richest individuals of this nation in one single bill in history.

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) speaking at the rally before the meetings in Congress on May 14th, 2025

The bill provides billions of dollars to finance anti-immigration and mass deportation plans while cutting tens of billions of dollars in Medicaid. These cuts don't only target undocumented immigrants but will affect millions of US citizens ([link removed]) in over 14 states.
Meanwhile, the immigration detention budget would grow by more than 13 times the 2024 budget and convert ICE into a new arm of the US military. These unprecedented amounts of spending include:
* $69 billion in unrestricted funds for border wall construction and militarization.
* $80 billion for detention and enforcement.
* $5 billion for the Department of Defense to use for "border operations".
At the same time, this bill raises asylum request fees to $1000, a prohibitively high amount for vulnerable people seeking refuge from persecution. Asylum seekers would also have to pay $550 to request a work permit that would be only valid for 6 months and pay the same amount every time they renew it.

Rep. Johnny Olszewski (D-MD) meeting with our coalition on May 14th, 2025

There is still time for us to act. Congressional leadership hopes the final markups will be completed by Memorial Day and get approval from the House, with its final passage in the Senate occurring as soon as July or as late as November. You can still call your Congressional representatives ([link removed]) and ask them to vote against this bill.

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