U.S. Senators Call for Explanation on Trump’s Troubling Haiti Policies
(MENAFN) US Senator Edward Markey called on the Trump administration Sunday to explain its “contradictory” stance on foreign and immigration policies regarding Haiti.
On X, Markey stated, “@SenatorWarnock and I are demanding answers by August 15. You can’t deport people into a war zone.”
Last week, Markey and Senator Raphael Warnock spearheaded a letter signed by their colleagues addressed to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, seeking transparency about these policies.
The senators also pressed for information about the role of a U.S. private military contractor (PMC), led by Blackwater Worldwide’s founder Erik Prince, that is reportedly engaged in armed operations within Haiti.
Referencing recent news coverage, the letter asserts the PMC is operating in Haiti under a formal agreement with the country’s transitional government.
“These reports raise urgent questions about compliance with U.S. arms export laws, the risk of U.S. complicity in gross violations of human rights, and fundamental contradictions in current U.S. foreign and immigration policy toward Haiti."
The senators emphasized the need for immediate clarification on how the administration is aligning and justifying the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti alongside its newly imposed travel ban.
Weaponized drone missions, arms shipments, and the deployment of U.S. mercenaries “unquestionably” require export licenses, the senators stated.
They added, “If those licenses were granted, their approval would appear inconsistent with NSPM-10’s human rights criteria. If no licenses were granted, then these activities may be proceeding in violation of U.S. law.” (referring to National Security Presidential Memorandum 10).
Highlighting the growing contradictions in U.S. policy toward Haiti, the senators warned that deporting individuals amid escalating violence and the unregulated presence of a U.S. private military contractor threatens both U.S. legal standards and international credibility.
Haiti has endured years of violent gang activity and political instability, worsened after President Jovenel Moise’s assassination in 2021.
Despite authorization from the UN, a Kenyan-led peacekeeping force has been unable to reclaim control from gangs, which now dominate approximately 90% of the capital, Port-au-Prince.
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