(The Center Square) – U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has designated two Haitian gangs as foreign terrorist organizations, adding to a list of transnational criminal organizations, including Mexican cartels and the violent Venezuelan prison gang Tren de Aragua.
Rubio designated the violent Haitian gangs, Viv Ansanm and Gran Grif, as FTOs and Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs), saying they “are the primary source of instability and violence in Haiti” and pose “a direct threat to U.S. national security interests in our region.”
Gang members, known for killing and attacking Haitians, Haitian security forces, and Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission personnel, have vowed to overthrow the Haitian government. “Their ultimate goal is creating a gang-controlled state where illicit trafficking and other criminal activities operate freely and terrorize Haitian citizens,” Rubio said.
FTO designations play a critical role in U.S. foreign policy, he said, including the U.S.’s fight against terrorism. He also said anyone providing material support or resources to Viv Ansanm or Gran Grif gang members “could face criminal charges and inadmissibility or removal from the United States.”
The U.S. government supports the Haitian National Police and MSS mission to provide stability in Haiti and urges “all of Haiti’s political leaders to prioritize the security of the Haitian people, find solutions to stop the violence, and make progress toward the restoration of democracy through free and fair elections,” he said.
He made the announcement after a record number of Haitians were released into the U.S. and were reported illegally entering the U.S. under the Biden administration.
Under the Biden-Harris administration, the greatest number of Haitian illegal border crossers was reported nationwide in U.S. history of nearly 700,000.
The greatest number was reported in fiscal 2024 of 220,798, followed by 163,781 in fiscal 2023, 56,596 in fiscal 2022, and 47,478 in nine months in fiscal 2021.
At least 211,000 Haitians were released into the U.S. through a CHNV parole program created by the Biden administration to release Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan and Venezuelan nationals into the country who were deemed inadmissible under federal immigration law.
The CHNV parole program was among more than a dozen identified by House Republicans as illegal and used as evidence to impeach former Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. After the Biden administration reversed Trump-era policies and Mayorkas directed federal employees to not enforce some aspects of federal immigration law, record numbers of foreign nationals began illegally entering the country, totaling more than 14 million, The Center Square exclusively reported, including two million who evaded capture.
Mayorkas claimed the parole process would lower illegal border crossings but more than three million illegally entered the U.S. or attempted illegal entry from CHNV countries, The Center Square exclusively reported. They totaled more than the population of 20 individual U.S. states.
He also implemented a policy of “lawful, safe and orderly means of traveling to the United States” by flying hundreds of illegal foreign nationals into the U.S. on commercial flights funded by the U.S. taxpayer, The Center Square reported. DHS claimed those being admitted to the U.S. were vetted for national security and public safety reasons, which numerous inspector general reports and congressional investigations found to be untrue.
As Haitians entered the country, local communities nationwide struggled with increased crime and costs they argue weren’t sustainable and negatively impact them, The Center Square reported.
Those who were released into the U.S. through the CHNV and other parole programs have been targeted for deportation by the Trump administration. While a federal judge has attempted to stop CHNV deportations, those who don’t self-deport face being fined nearly $1,000 a day under current administration policies, The Center Square reported.
