(Le Floridien) — Washington, D.C. – Florida Democratic Congresswomen Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick and Debbie Wasserman Schultz have penned a letter to Governor Ron DeSantis, voicing critical concerns over the potential influx of Haitian migrants to Florida. They urge the state’s Republican leaders to address the underlying causes of this migration.
The letter emphasizes Haiti’s critical condition, with gangs controlling around 80% of Port-au-Prince, leading to a year marked by almost 5,000 murders, 2,000 kidnappings, and over 310,000 people internally displaced. It also highlights the grave issue of gangs using sexual violence as a weapon against women and girls, alongside threats of starting a civil war. Additionally, it mentions that nearly 1.4 million Haitians face the imminent threat of famine.
The letter’s signatories are urging Governor DeSantis to work with Congressional Republicans to lift the long-standing blockade on funds allocated for the Multinational Security Support mission. “Every minute we refuse to provide the promised funds, the Haitian people suffer, and the border security of Florida is threatened,” the letter asserts.
Congresswoman Cherfilus-McCormick, the sole Haitian American in Congress and Co-Chair of the Congressional Haiti Caucus, expressed a personal connection to the plight of Haitians, emphasizing the strategic significance of Haiti’s stability for the United States. She called on Congressional Republicans to lift the freeze on essential security and stability funds for Haiti to mitigate the risk of mass migration to Florida.
Congresswoman Wasserman Schultz, a senior member of the Appropriations Committee, shared her continuous efforts to secure aid for Haitians afflicted by poverty and violence and to bolster Haiti’s governance and law enforcement capabilities. She lamented the Republican holdup that has hindered the protection of Haiti’s civilians and expressed dismay over the fact that firearms, manufactured in the U.S. and illegally smuggled from Florida, are fueling gang violence in Haiti.
The letter is also endorsed by Representatives Kathy Castor, Darren Soto, Lois Frankel, Jared Moskowitz, Frederica S. Wilson, and Maxwell Alejandro Frost, all serving Florida in the Democratic Party, who collectively advocate for immediate action to address the crisis.
