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Haiti - US Relations

U.S. policy toward Haiti is designed to foster economic growth, enhance government capacity, and strengthen democracy; help alleviate poverty, illiteracy, and malnutrition; promote respect for human rights; counter illegal migration and drug trafficking; and assist in the reconstruction of the country after the January 2010 earthquake. The U.S. also supports and facilitates bilateral trade and investment along with legal migration and travel. U.S. policy goals are met through direct bilateral action and by working with the international community. The Haitian Diaspora is a potentially powerful ally in the effort to strengthen U.S. policy initiatives in Haiti.

Mathias Pierre, Haiti's minister of elections, announced 09 Jul 2021 that the Haitian government had requested the US to deploy troops to the island nation to protect key infrastructure after the Biden administration offered the country aid in the wake of the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse earlier this week. Earlier, both US and Haitian officials told reporters they could not confirm whether such a request had been made or not, but Pierre told the New York Times that “urban terrorists” like those who shot the president to death in his home on Wednesday posed a continuing danger to civil assets.

U.S. Ambassador Michele Sison expressed support 22 February 2019 for Haiti's President Jovenel Moise, who has been the focus of two weeks of nationwide protests calling for his resignation. "We have always underscored, in our statements as well as our diplomatic conversations ... our belief in the legitimacy of Haiti's institutions and its elected officials," Sison said in an interview with VOA Creole.

Asked if the United States was prepared to help mediate multiparty talks to try to resolve the country's political crisis, the ambassador said the burden falls on Haitians themselves to resolve their problems. "Many people are talking about the need for a national dialogue. The United States wants to encourage such a dialogue but it must be inclusive, it must be constructive, in good faith where all the stakeholders, political, economic, young people, women, the private sector, religious leaders get together to dialogue without preconditions," she said.

The United States has taken a leading role in organizing international involvement with Haiti. The United States works closely with the OAS, particularly through the Secretary General's "Friends of Haiti" group (originally a UN group that included the U.S., Canada, France, Venezuela, Chile, and Argentina which was enlarged in 2001 to add Germany, Spain, Norway, Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, and The Bahamas), the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), and individual countries to achieve policy goals. The U.S. is a member of the board of the Interim Commission for the Reconstruction of Haiti, established in May 2010 by the Haitian Government. The commission is co-chaired by the Haitian Prime Minister and former President Clinton. Both Haitian and international stakeholders sit on the board of directors.

Maintaining good relations with and fostering democracy in Haiti are important for many reasons, not least of which is the country's geographical proximity to the continental United States. In addition to the many Haitians who receive visas to immigrate into the U.S. (averaging over 13,000 annually in FY 1999-2003), there is a flow of illegal migrants. Over 100,000 undocumented Haitian migrants were intercepted at sea by the U.S. Coast Guard in the past 2 decades, particularly during the 1991-94 period of illegal military rule when more than 67,000 migrants were interdicted. Since the return of the legitimate government in 1994, the interdiction of illegal migrants by U.S. Coast Guard vessels has decreased dramatically, averaging fewer than 1,500 annually. Neighboring Caribbean countries, particularly The Bahamas, continue to interdict Haitian migrants as well. The prospect remains, however, for the renewal of higher flows of illegal migrants, particularly under conditions of political unrest or further economic downturn.

Following the January 12, 2010 earthquake, the U.S. Coast Guard has not seen a rise in illegal migration by sea. On January 15, 2010, the U.S. granted temporary protected status (TPS) for 18 months to Haitians living illegally in the U.S. During that period, they were allowed to live and work in the U.S. upon submission and approval of a TPS application. On May 17, 2011, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced an extension and re-designation of TPS for Haiti. The extension will allow Haitians who have already been granted TPS following the earthquake to re-register and remain in the United States through January 22, 2013. In addition, DHS re-designated Haiti for TPS--meaning that Haitian nationals who have continuously resided in the United States since January 12, 2011, may now also be eligible to apply for TPS and will be allowed to stay in the United States through January 22, 2013. The extension and re-designation of TPS became effective July 23, 2011.

Political insecurity and the failure of Haiti's government to invest in developing the country's natural and human resources has contributed significantly to the country's current state of underdevelopment. U.S. efforts to strengthen democracy and help build the foundation for economic growth aim to rectify this condition. The U.S. has been Haiti's largest donor since 1973. Between FY 1995 and FY 2003, the U.S. contributed more than $850 million in assistance to Haiti. Since 2004, the U.S. has provided over $1.5 billion for improving governance, security, the rule of law, economic recovery, and critical human needs.

Following the January 2010 earthquake, the U.S. Government, working with the Government of Haiti and the United Nations system, executed what became the largest international humanitarian response to a natural disaster in U.S. history. In a corresponding outpouring of support, one out of every two U.S. households made some form of private contribution to Haitian relief. The U.S. Congress passed a supplemental appropriation to support the long-term recovery and relief efforts in Haiti. In total, the U.S. Government would provide $2.6 billion toward relief, recovery and reconstruction after the earthquake.

Haiti’s recovery is a strategic imperative for the United States. The U.S. Government’s development strategy focuses on stimulating economic activity and enhancing the delivery of basic services in designated development corridors, or areas of the country, while engaging the private sector in the reconstruction process. Consistent with the Haitian Government's action plan, the U.S. Government’s reconstruction and long-term development plan seeks to support new and diverse economic opportunities outside of Port-au-Prince using focused and catalytic investments in housing, energy, agriculture, health, security, and national and local governance.

The U.S. Government strategy consists of investments in four focus areas or “pillars” critical to achieving economic growth and stability.

1 - Infrastructure and Energy

• Permanent housing in identified development corridors for internally displaced persons (IDPs) with housing developments in and around secondary cities, including provision of infrastructure services, conversion of existing transitional shelters to permanent housing, and construction of upgradable core housing units.
• Investing in an electricity sector that is reliable and financially viable. This includes: rehabilitation of high-priority energy infrastructure and generation facilities; modernizing the sector by improving governance; strengthening institutional capacities; and attracting private sector participation. Given the magnitude of Haiti’s needs, U.S. Government investment will be coordinated with other donors, the Government of Haiti, and the private sector.
• Investment in infrastructure for the agricultural and industrial sectors for road and port development to help expand economic activity beyond Port-au-Prince, including improving rural farm-to-market feeder roads and bridges to reduce transportation costs and loss of value of agricultural products en route to local or export markets.

2 - Food and Economic Security

• Promoting agriculture sector growth within targeted corridors. This includes targeting assistance to farmer groups to increase farm productivity by providing commercially produced seeds, fertilizers and tools, as well as support to producer associations to use applicable research and increase access to finance. Increasing farm incomes will be the key driver of improved food security in the priority areas.
• Integrating agricultural assistance with natural resource management, such as rebuilding canals and strengthening local farmers’ governance of water use. These investments in natural resource management are focused on the protection and improvement of yields in high-priority fertile plains.
• Support the development of micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSME). Fostering and enabling a policy environment for MSME growth; providing technical assistance and professional and vocational training services to MSMEs; and, where appropriate, increasing access to capital for these businesses, which will help increase the number of new jobs created by formal MSMEs.

3 - Health and Other Basic Services

• Developing comprehensive referral networks at the communal and departmental levels. Within the development corridors, the U.S. Government will provide health services through investments in the 12 Government of Haiti-designated “communal health referral networks” that fall within the U.S. development corridors. The U.S. Government will invest in all aspects of the network--from facilities to equipment, training, supplies, and human resources, including community health workers.
• Supporting the delivery of a “basic package” of services, including in areas outside the development corridors. For epidemiological, sustainability, and humanitarian reasons, the U.S. Government will continue to make a core set of investments in service delivery and health systems outside of the development corridors, including targeted interventions for infectious disease as well as interventions to address gender-based violence and child protection.
• Establishing disability care to support the Government of Haiti. The U.S. Government will expand disability care to rehabilitate and reintegrate into society persons with disabilities due to the earthquake, while building the capacity of governmental and non-governmental institutions to sustainably and effectively support persons with disabilities in the future.

4 - Governance and Rule of Law

• Building the capacity of the Government of Haiti to decrease reliance on international assistance. Through investment in infrastructure and equipment to enable the functioning of key government offices, skills development to build a more capable public administration at national and local levels, and support systems to improve transparency and accountability, the U.S. Government will assist the Government of Haiti in becoming more responsive and increasingly capable of performing essential governance functions without reliance on international assistance.
• Investing in the Haitian National Police, Haiti’s sole indigenous security force, to adequately provide for the safety and security of Haitians throughout the country. This includes support for training and recruitment of new officers and in-service learning for mid-to-senior level officers to increase the overall professionalization as well as investment in infrastructure and equipment to enhance the sustainability of the force.
• Targeting assistance in key areas to strengthen the justice sector and improve access to legal services. This includes: providing equipment and technical assistance to reduce pre-trial detention and to strengthen key criminal justice institutions to manage cases more efficiently; providing free legal assistance to vulnerable populations; and renovating the corrections sector to reinforce prison infrastructure severely damaged by the earthquake and provide additional space to alleviate severe overcrowding.
• Funding initiatives to increase protection of human rights and vulnerable populations. U.S. Government investments target improvements in the physical security in IDP camps, provision of services to victims of violence and human trafficking, and empowering vulnerable populations through economic opportunity and increased awareness.

Haiti is a transshipment point for South American narcotics, primarily cocaine, being moved into the United States by trafficking networks that take advantage of weak law enforcement and judicial institutions. The U.S. Government, through the International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs section and other agencies at Embassy Port-au-Prince, counters this threat with a focus on developing the capacity of the Haitian National Police--including the counternarcotics division and units dealing with money laundering and financial crimes--through training support and operational assistance. The U.S. also provides material assistance and training to the Haitian Coast Guard for interdiction of drugs and illegal migrants. In recent years, the Haitian Government has agreed to the expulsion of several traffickers under indictment in the United States to stand trial in U.S. courts.