Panel urges U.S. action to curb weapons flow and investigate political ties between gangs and elites in Haiti

Congressman Jim McGovern, chairing the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission briefing on Haiti, and three panelists warned that illicit weapons and political collusion are central to the country’s escalating violence and urged concrete international measures to disrupt the supply and finances that sustain gangs.

The panel said the scale of gang firepower and the degree of political protection mean military suppression alone will not resolve the crisis. "We know that most of these weapons originate in The United States," McGovern said, summarizing evidence cited in the briefing. Melina Alicia Cholier (introduced in the program) / Velina Shawille (self-identified as a member of a Haitian civil society organization) told commissioners, "They are armed with US made weapons and ammunition that are trafficked to ports, the Dominican Republic border, and other places in the region."

Why it matters: speakers said gangs now control large parts of Port-au-Prince and other areas, and their firepower exceeds that of Haiti’s police. Panelists argued that weapon flows, finance derived from extortion and illicit markets, and collusion with political and business elites combine to entrench gang power and sustain a coercive parallel authority.

Panelists described the problem as transnational. "This is not solely a Haitian issue. It's a transnational issue that requires urgent action," Melina/Velina said, urging U.S. and regional steps to curb arms trafficking and target networks that profit from violence. She listed extortion, kidnapping, drug and arms trafficking and said gangs have used forced recruitment of minors.

Corinne Paul, senior policy adviser for civil and political rights at the American Jewish World Service, said the multinational security support mission (MSS) has been under-resourced and that a fuller strategy would combine security steps with accountability measures targeting financiers and collaborators. "A more holistic strategy would have included stronger accountability against those who fund the gangs and greater support to local police forces," Paul said.

Panelists pressed that sanctions without prosecution provide limited deterrence. Melina/Velina cited U.S. sanctions and asked why some sanctioned figures had not faced criminal charges abroad. "If The US was able to have that much proof ... why not press charges?" she asked, noting that sanctions alone have not brought trials or convictions.

What the panel recommended: targeted measures to stop illegal arms and ammunition shipments in the hemisphere; judicial and investigative assistance to identify and prosecute financiers and public officials who collude with armed groups; and better resourcing of Haitian security and investigative capacities to reduce dependence on short-term multinational deployments.

The briefing did not record any formal votes or binding actions by Congress. Panelists framed their recommendations as options for Congressional follow-up, including legislative or executive steps to strengthen interdiction, sanctions enforcement, and transnational investigations.

Ending: Commissioners and panelists repeatedly emphasized that breaking the arms-and-finance nexus will require coordinated regional actions and credible prosecutions of actors who enable armed groups. "When the population gets in the streets ... it's because we are tired of them. We want them to disappear," Melina/Velina said, urging accountability as a core part of any sustainable response.