WASHINGTON—This week, U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Tim Kaine (D-VA), Rick Scott (R-FL), John Curtis (R-UT) and Chris Coons (D-DE), reintroduced the bipartisan Haiti Criminal Collusion Transparency Act, which would prioritize U.S. leadership in addressing the ongoing violence in Haiti. This bill will mandate sanctions against Haitian gangs, armed criminal actors and their political and economic enablers. It will also require extensive interagency cooperation, identification and reporting of criminal collusion and threats to U.S. national interests, including through an annual report submitted to Congress by the Secretary of State.
“This bipartisan bill is a meaningful and logical next step towards addressing and preventing criminal collusion and violence in Haiti,” said Senator Shaheen. “The ongoing gang violence has displaced more than a million Haitians—including women and children, creating a dire humanitarian catastrophe mere hundreds of miles from U.S. shores. The measures laid out in the Haiti Criminal Collusion Transparency Act will ensure the U.S. is properly equipped to protect our national security interests and ensure stability and security in the region.”
“The widespread violence perpetrated by criminal gangs in Haiti has internally displaced over one million Haitians and created a dire humanitarian crisis,” said Senator Kaine. “This bill would help address the deteriorating conditions in Haiti by sanctioning Haitian gangs and other individuals with ties to them, and require a comprehensive analysis regarding how this crisis impacts our security and the stability of the region.”
“The people of Haiti have suffered for too long at the hands of violent gangs and corrupt elites who put their own power over their people,” said Senator Scott. “This bill will shine a light on the collusion between criminals and those in power, makes clear that the United States will not stand for this violence and prioritizes our national security interests in the region. I am proud to lead this bipartisan effort and look forward to its passage as the Trump administration advances peace through strength around the globe.”
“Haiti’s deteriorating security situation threatens America’s national interests in the region,” said Senator Curtis. “By mandating targeted, strategic sanctions on Haitian political and economic elites who are colluding with criminal gangs, our bipartisan legislation will help address a growing humanitarian, economic, and national security crisis.”
“Americans are safer and more prosperous when Haiti is stable and secure,” said Senator Coons. “The criminal gangs and their enablers acting with impunity and terrorizing civilians throughout the island are endangering the Haitian people and destabilizing a country in our own backyard. The Haiti Criminal Collusion Transparency Act will help bring them to account, making both Haiti and the United States more secure.”
Key provisions of the Haiti Criminal Collusion Transparency Act include:
Companion legislation was introduced in the House of Representatives by Congressman Gregory Meeks, Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee (D-NY) and passed out of the House Foreign Affairs Committee in April 2025.
Full text of the Haiti Criminal Collusion Transparency Act can be found here.
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