US national security faces major risks as gangs battle for control over Haiti
Join Fox News for access to this content Plus special access to select articles and other premium content with your account - free of charge. Please enter a valid email address. By entering your email and pushing continue, you are agreeing to Fox News' Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, which includes our Notice of Financial Incentive. To access the content, check your email and follow the instructions provided. Having trouble? Click here.
As Haiti continues to struggle with rampant gang violence and with the sudden resignation of its interim Prime Minister, Ariel Henry, this week, experts are warning about the serious consequences a failed Haitian state could have on U.S. national security.
Haiti has been in a near constant state of chaos since the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse, which not only brought with it unchecked corruption and poverty but also an increase in violence.
Some 70,000 Haitians flocked to the U.S. border in 2023 as gang violence surged, and American leaders like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis remain concerned there could be another influx of migrants, though experts are warning the threat to U.S. security could reach beyond migration woes.
BILLIONS INVESTED IN HAITI SINCE 2010 EARTHQUAKE HAVE NOT IMPROVED COUNTRY: 'WE'RE STILL WORKING'
"A failed state controlled by criminals, drug traffickers, mass murderers and gangs so close to U.S. soil is not in the foreign policy interests of the U.S.," Eddy Acevedo, chief of staff and senior adviser at the Wilson Center think tank told Fox News Digital.
"[The] greatest threat facing the U.S. regarding Haiti is further instability in the country, which could endanger the lives of millions of Haitians and risk a mass migration," said Acevedo a former national