Overview:
Henry Wooster, chargé d’affaires at the US Embassy in Port-au-Prince, mentioned Tuesday at a Senate subcommittee listening to that Haiti’s stability is straight tied to U.S. nationwide safety. He warned of potential state collapse and mass migration with out fast safety positive aspects, outlined plans for a U.N.-backed multinational power and defended U.S. help for Haitian safety efforts.
Haiti’s stability is straight tied to United States nationwide safety, the highest U.S. diplomat within the Caribbean nation informed lawmakers throughout a listening to on Capitol Hill Tuesday. Henry Wooster warned that with out pressing safety positive aspects, the nation dangers collapse and mass migration.
“Our goal in Haiti is one phrase: stability,” mentioned Wooster, chargé d’affaires on the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince.
Throughout his testimony earlier than the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Overseas Operations, and Associated Packages, Wooster outlined stability as stopping “collapse of the state” and avoiding “mass unlawful migration onto U.S. shores.” Each factor of U.S. coverage towards Haiti, he mentioned, is anchored to that aim.
“As we counter the destabilizers, deploy the worldwide power and make investments strategically,” he mentioned. “Haiti can regain the capability to safe its personal homeland — benefiting U.S. pursuits and all the area.”
The listening to comes almost two months after Congress handed the Haiti Criminal Collusion Transparency Act of 2025, a brand new provision within the 2026 Nationwide Protection Authorization Act (NDAA) — marking a big shift in United States overseas coverage towards Haiti.
Safety because the “prime mover”
Wooster described Haiti’s disaster as pushed by a coalition of roughly 20 armed teams that he mentioned are working as “proto-insurgent actions.” He estimated the entire gang inhabitants at about 12,000 folks, with roughly 3,000 posing the best risk.
By comparability, the Haitian Nationwide Police (PNH) has about 6,000 officers on its payroll, Wooster mentioned, however “maximally 400 do many of the preventing.”
“If we don’t have safety,” he informed senators, “the opposite points we would be capable of speak about right this moment are materially related solely within the sense that they’re educational issues. Safety is the keystone within the arch.”
Armed teams management or affect an estimated 90% of Haiti’s capital, in response to testimony offered on the listening to. Almost 1.4 million persons are displaced, 63% of state-run inpatient well being amenities within the capital are closed or working at partial capability and greater than 5.9 million Haitians face acute meals insecurity.
Minors make up roughly half of Haiti’s gang members, the audio system mentioned.
UN-backed power set to deploy
Wooster outlined U.S. help for a multinational mission backed by the U.N. Safety Council referred to as the Gang Suppression Pressure (GSF), which is predicted to deploy 5,500 uniformed personnel.
The primary items are scheduled to reach April 1, with full operational functionality focused by September, he mentioned. The mission’s mandate consists of neutralizing and deterring gangs, securing essential infrastructure and strengthening Haitian safety forces.
The chargé d’affaires emphasised the power isn’t a conventional U.N. peacekeeping operation however operates below a Chapter VII resolution —[adopted for peace under Articles 39-51 of the U.N. Charter]—and is overseen by a standing group of accomplice nations chaired by the U.S.
Lawmakers raised issues about previous worldwide missions, together with allegations of misconduct and human rights abuses. Wooster mentioned taking part items endure screening, U.N. human rights due diligence and U.S. Leahy vetting to stop people implicated in abuses from deploying.
Non-public army contractors questioned
Senators additionally pressed Wooster concerning the presence of personal army contractors working below contract with the Haitian authorities, together with Vectus International— an organization linked to Erik Prince, a former Navy SEAL with a historical past of human rights abuses.
Prince mentioned his firm, Vectus International, will strengthen public safety and play a key function in Haiti’s financial system, together with dealing with import taxes on the border with the Dominican Republic
Wooster mentioned the contract is between the Haitian authorities and the corporate, not the U.S. He described the contractors as offering capabilities Haitian forces lack, together with evening operations and drone use in city fight. With out skilled personnel, he warned, Haiti could be “a lot nearer” to state collapse.
Some senators expressed concern that expanded use of personal contractors may injury U.S. credibility, citing previous controversies in Iraq.
Corruption and elections stay obstacles
Past safety, Wooster acknowledged that governance failures and corruption proceed to undermine stability.
“It’s been a decade since Haiti’s final elections,” he mentioned, noting that the mandate of the Transitional Presidential Council expired days earlier than the listening to.
The council permitted a decree setting elections for 2026, however lawmakers questioned whether or not safety circumstances would enable credible voting.
“The Achilles’ heel in Haiti stays the actions and orientation of the political elite,” Sen. Markwayne Mullin (Rep. OK), who chaired the panel, mentioned.
Wooster mentioned long-term stability requires an elected authorities that’s “chosen by and beholden to its folks.”
Assist, jobs and migration in geopolitics at play
Lawmakers debated the effectiveness of U.S. assist applications and the latest pause in efforts to terminate Momentary Protected Standing (PTS) for Haitians.
Wooster harassed that financial alternative is important to stop younger Haitians from becoming a member of gangs or trying migration.
“With seven consecutive years of financial contraction, many youthful Haitians view gangs as the one dependable supply of earnings,” he mentioned.
He pointed to commerce desire applications supporting Haiti’s textile and attire trade as essential to sustaining jobs. He additionally reiterated that the U.S. has extra affect on Haiti than some other energy on the planet.
“Weapons alone gained’t win it,” Wooster mentioned. “When the weapons go quiet, there have to be an financial system in place. Folks need to consider they will put sneakers on their child’s ft and meals on the desk.”