Haitian-American Congresswoman from Florida urges Haitian prime minister to resign

The first Haitian-American Democrat elected to the U.S. House of Representatives is calling on Haiti Prime Minister Ariel Henry to leave his post amid escalating gang violence that threatens to topple the Caribbean country’s political institutions.

“We have to make sure that the Haitian people trust the process and that they feel that they are being protected and that the gangs will not be involved in any kind of transition government,” U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick said Monday, calling during a press conference in Fort Lauderdale for Henry to hand over his post to a transitional government.

The remarks from Cherfilus-McCormick are the latest in the public conversation on the crisis in Haiti among the leaders, officials and community advocates of South Florida’s Haitian community, who are watching from afar as conditions in Haiti deteriorate.

Gangs have declared their intention to overthrow Henry’s government, freed thousands of people from the country’s largest prisons, taken over police stations and killed police officers. Most of Port-au-Prince is under criminal control, according to the United Nations.

READ MORE: Haiti’s political, civic leaders are at odds over who should be involved in transition

On Monday, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken was in Jamaica to meet with heads of CARICOM governments, the United Nations and partner countries to discuss how to move Haiti forward from the crisis. Political and civic leaders from the country have all offered proposals.

Cherfilus-McCormick emphasized that criminal gangs in Haiti should not receive amnesty. She also said that the deployment of U.S. Marines was to protect the American embassy and staffers as they evacuated in Port-Au-Prince.

“The gangs have consistently asked for amnesty. I believe that more people will be committed to working and fighting with the gangs if they think they are going to get amnesty,” she said. “If we do that, I don’t believe that the Haitian people will ever believe that the international community has their best interests at heart.”

Separately, Cherfilus-McCormick facilitated a roundtable with Haitian leaders from South Florida on Monday. She told reporters they would be discussing Monday’s negotiations in Jamaica, as well as the Multinational Security Mission, a UN-brokered and US-backed agreement to send about 1,000 police officers from Kenya to help Haiti restore safety. Henry was on travels to Kenya sealing the deal when the most recent wave of violence broke out. He has been stranded in Puerto Rico for days.

Samuel Hinds, the Guyanese Ambassador to the United States, also participated virtually in the meeting, to discuss the CARICOM negotiations. Guyana currently chairs CARICOM.

Over the weekend, Cherfilus-McCormick and her fellow House Haiti Caucus Co-Chairs Reps. Ayana Pressley and Yvette Clarke, also said in a statement that Henry should not go back to the country.

“It is crucial that all parties in Haiti urgently put aside their differences and form a transitional government that does not include Ariel Henry, criminals, and/or associated organizations. No one’s personal ambition is worth the blood of innocent Haitian lives,” said the statement.

Last week, elected officials, service providers, and community leaders held a press conference in North Miami, which has a strong Haitian presence. They criticized Henry, rejected U.S. intervention and urged for Haitian-led solutions and for the American government to include Haitian voices as it navigates the Caribbean country’s crisis.