U.S. sends delegation to Haiti amid humanitarian crisis, imposes visa restrictions on officials 

The United States sent a high-level delegation to Haiti on Wednesday after the Caribbean country’s prime minister and the United Nation’s secretary-general requested help to address the nation’s security crisis. 

The delegation of U.S. officials, led by Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Brian Nichols, will meet with Haitian officials to discuss the country’s request for international support as gang violence, a cholera outbreak, and food shortages continue to spread throughout the country. 

A coalition of gangs blocked the Varreux fuel terminal last month after Haitian Prime Minister Henry announced a fuel price hike. The blockade has crippled the country’s access to gasoline and diesel. As a result, businesses, hospitals, and public transit have ceased operations, leading to shortages of food and other goods. 

The blockade has also led to a shortage of bottled water, leading to a new outbreak of cholera, which is controlled through clean water and hygiene. 

On Sunday, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on the international community “to consider as of matter of urgency the request by the Haitian Government for the immediate deployment of an international specialized armed force.”

State Department spokesperson Ned Price said on Wednesday that the Biden administration is reviewing the request and considering all possible alternatives to help the country. 

Secretary of State Antony Blinked added that the U.S. is “working to increase and deploy in the coming days security assistance to the Haitian National Police to strengthen their capacity to counter gangs and re-establish a stable security environment under the rule of law.”

The U.S. will also be sending a major Coast Guard cutter vessel to patrol the waters around Port-au-Prince and staff to work alongside Haitian health workers to respond to the cholera outbreak. 

Additionally, the Biden administration announced a new visa restriction policy aimed at “Haitian officials and former government officials and other individuals involved in the operation of street gangs and other Haitian criminal organizations that have threatened the livelihoods of the Haitian people and are blocking life-saving humanitarian support.”