Haitian PM pleads for additional funds to U.S. lawmakers to combat criminal gangs

Haiti's new prime minister, Garry Conille, traveled to the U.S. to meet top Democrats and plead for more funds to help the besieged country fight the criminal gangs that control vast swaths of its territory, The New York Times reported.

Despite Republican opposition, the Biden administration is set to release $100 million for an international mission tasked with aiding local forces. However, Conille said more money would be needed soon, emphasizing that "this is a critical point."

While Conille thanked the support already committed, he said they are only enough to "quickly implement basic infrastructure, repair basic infrastructure, and make sure that the services are available to people."

In that context, Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, Democrat of Florida and the only Haitian American member of Congress, said in an interview that the Caribbean country's issues are "huge" and that the party is "making sure that we know what his priorities are and how we can address security and also the economic needs and to make sure the funding is really present."

"We've been wrestling here in Congress since October to make sure the funding is available, because we have a short window for success," she added. Democrats have been lobbying the government to allocate additional funds to help the country.

The U.S. has pledged $300 million, about half of what the mission is estimated to cost. And while the State Department had no issues securing the first $200 million, it encountered the aforementioned block for the remaining part. Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas and Sen. Jim Risch of Idaho had refused to lift the block. That's when the Biden administration circumvented the blockage, resorting to a move described as the "nuclear option," as it overrides a Republican hold on the funds.

Following the decision, Senator Rasch, the senior Republican on the Foreign Relations Committee, said he was disappointed by the decision and called the international force "ill-conceived."

"I have very clearly expressed my serious and specific concerns about this mission since last September. My concerns exist in part because of the long history of failed international interventions in Haiti, which have wasted billions of dollars and left the Haitian people worse off."

However, Conille continued with his meetings, which also included government officials, among them Secretary of State Antony Blinken. He detailed to them his plans to quash violence and corruption and put the country back on a democratic track.

The international force began arriving in late June, with 400 Kenyan police officers leading the way. The force will initially have a "static" role, helping protect key infrastructure in the country rather than fighting the gangs.

However, Leslie Voltaire said, the force will become more "dynamic" and could be expected to help local law enforcement engage with the criminal organizations as they seek to quash the current levels of violence.

The figure is expected to climb to 1,000, while additional forces from other seven countries (Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Jamaica, Bangladesh, Benin and Chad) are set to take it to 2,500.