U.S. Officially Labels Haitian Gangs as Terrorists

The Trump administration has officially designated the Haitian gang coalitions Viv Ansanm and Gran Grif as Foreign Terrorist Organizations and Specially Designated Global Terrorists, citing their destabilizing role in Haiti and direct threat to U.S. interests. The announcement by Secretary of State Marco Rubio enables sweeping sanctions and criminal penalties against those supporting the gangs worldwide. Both groups control much of Haiti’s capital and key trade routes, and are implicated in widespread violence, extortion, and a massacre in Pont-Sonde by Gran Grif. While proponents argue the measures will help curb trafficking and gang power, critics warn they risk worsening Haiti’s humanitarian crisis by disrupting commerce and aid. The policy follows similar U.S. actions against Latin American criminal organizations and coincides with stricter migration and protected status rules for Haitians. As violence escalates and over a million Haitians are displaced, concerns grow about the impact on the nation’s most vulnerable.