The United States has labelled the Viv Ansanm and Gran Grif gangs in Haiti “foreign terrorist organisations”, a move that follows a trend under President Donald Trump of issuing terrorist designations against criminal groups in Latin America.As part of Friday’s announcement, Secretary of State Marco Rubio explained that the two gangs have spread violence and chaos in Haiti, where armed groups exert substantial control over much of the capital, Port-au-Prince.
“The age of impunity for those supporting violence in Haiti is over,” Rubio said in a news statement.
“Haitian gangs, including the Viv Ansanm coalition and Gran Grif, are the primary source of instability and violence in Haiti. They are a direct threat to US national security interests in our region.”
The Trump administration has projected a hard line against criminal groups in Latin America, often connecting those efforts to domestic priorities like stemming irregular migration and drug trafficking.
In February, the US also designated eight drug-trafficking and criminal groups as “terrorist organisations”, including gangs such as Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13), Tren de Aragua and several Mexican drug cartels. Advertisement
While such groups carry out acts of violence and intimidation, experts have typically differentiated between them and traditional “terrorist” organisations that typically have explicit political goals.
The designation of “foreign terrorist organisation” makes any member of a given group inadmissible for entry into the US.
It also bars offering “material support or resources” to the group — an element of legal jeopardy that could inadvertently penalise individuals in areas where gangs are deeply embedded in the local economy and government.
But Trump and his allies have sought to up the ante against criminal organisations and cartels, blaming them for the flow …