Since taking office, President Donald Trump has been aggressive at the border and has designated drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations

Strategically, Haiti is positioned as a gateway for drug trafficking routes between Latin America and the United States and has become a focal point in the discussion of drug cartel influence in the Western Hemisphere. President Trump has suggested that he is open to using U.S. military force against drug cartels.

Representative Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, a Democratic representative from South Florida, Haitian-American (born in New York to Capois parents), while acknowledging the importance of addressing cartel influence, suggested that the United States should take a different approach.

She believes that President Trump should not use military force against the cartels in Haiti. "I think that we could actually build upon what was already done [...]We have other countries that have committed their troops. I don’t think there’s any need to run in and send our troops [...]," explaining that existing international efforts should instead be strengthened in favor of Haiti and U.S. commitments respected.

SL/ HaitiLibre