Our sisters and brothers in Haiti are suffering and we ask you to take action.
On March 11, the Maryknoll Lay Missioners announced the difficult decision to suspend their presence in Haiti due to the recent resurgence of violence and uncertainty there. The community where Maryknoll Lay Missioners live in Haiti, and nearly every community on the island nation, are currently afraid to leave their homes due to the unchecked violence by gangs.
“Everyone I know has been impacted by the gangs,” says Sami Scott, a Maryknoll lay missioner assigned to Haiti. “Either they or someone in their family has been robbed, chased off their land or out of their homes, kidnapped, or killed.”
Take action: Tell Congress to stop the flow of illegal weapons from the United States to Haiti.
“In the five years I have served in Haiti, the number of guns in the hands of criminals has increased dramatically, especially since 2021,” Sami explains. “These are all coming into the country illegally. They are all sourced in the U.S. and trafficked here by various routes."
Members of the community where Sami has lived in Haiti have asked “why does the United States allow guns and ammunition to go to the gangs?” The answer is because oversight of cargo leaving Florida for the Caribbean has not been effective enough to stop the flow of illegal weapons.
Leaders in the Haitian diaspora are speaking out for diplomatic actions Pres. Biden can take to create space for peaceful, democratic governance to grow in Haiti. At the same time, Sami says, “Haiti cannot know peace or have a chance to prosper until the illegal trafficking of arms is stopped and the gangs that have them are controlled. Any advancement, including elections, education, food security, reforestation, jobs creation, or infrastructure improvements cannot happen until there is security,” she explains.
Join Sami in telling Congress to strengthen oversight of small arms shipments and stop the flow of illegal weapons using the form below.
“The United States must stop being complicit in the insecurity of Haiti and the destruction it has caused,” Sami says. “The U.S. can stop the illegal trafficking of arms from the U.S. to Haiti. To let it continue is a crime against humanity.”