ENROUTE TO WASHINGTON D.C.: Haiti Prime Minister Garry Conille, left, provided assurances to U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson and local Haitian American leaders last week that his troubled Caribbean nation is making progress amid chaos. PHOTO COURTESY OF FACEBOOK

Miami – With South Florida constituting one of the largest Haitian American populations in the country, newly elected Haiti Prime Minister Garry Conille stopped in Miami to meet with Haitian American leaders enroute to Washington D.C. last week and assured them the gang-torn country is making progress.

Following the closed-door meeting at Notre Dame d ‘Haiti Catholic Church in Miami, U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson and local Haitian American leaders expressed optimism over Haiti’s plan to quell the gang violence that has been terrorizing the Caribbean island since the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse.

The plan also is aimed at addressing poverty in the nation that is still trying to rebuild from the 2010 devastating earthquake that reportedly killed more than 2,200 people, destroyed 130,000 homes and caused about $9 billion in damages.

According to some in attendance, Conille outlined his plan for democracy through safe and secure elections, constitution formation, humanitarian aid, healthcare, and programs to steer at-risk kids from joining gangs.

"I was happy to welcome the Haitian Prime Minister, Garry Conille, to Miami in his first visit to the U.S. since becoming prime minister," Wilson said on social media. "We brought community leaders from South Florida together because we are all united to support the people of Haiti and see Haiti thrive."

Wilson said she will present the plan to the Biden-Harris administration to draw support for Haiti.

"We know for sure that the only way we get out of this successfully in the next 20 months is if our brothers and sisters in the Diaspora are actively engaged in the process," Wilson said.

After Conille was elected in June, violence escalated and the bloodbath in the streets of the capital Port-au-Prince and other cities has left hundreds of thousands of Haitians scurrying to safety. About 500,000 reportedly were displaced after their homes were destroyed. Children caught in the crossfire sought refuge in small, soiled villages that weren’t targeted by a coalition of gangs.

Thousands of Haitians have fled to Puerto Rico. Others have tried to reach U.S. soil in Florida, but the U.S. Coast Guard has repatriated groups seeking asylum. In late June, 152 migrants in a sailboat were stopped in the Florida Keys and detained by the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.

Last week, Haiti’s police force regained control of one of its Port-au-Prince stations which was besieged by armed gang members. An isolated assault on the same day of the takeover, however, killed an unknown number of civilians, and the armed groups burned down homes in the vicinity, according to the Associated Press. A bus driver was attacked and then shot by gunmen while he was working.

The attack comes days after hundreds of UN-backed Kenyan police officers arrived in Haiti to help restore order and subdue the coalition of gangs that have been responsible for the chaos. As Conille and Haiti’s Transitional Council are mapping out a plan to quell the chaos, one gang leader said he is prepared to fight the multinational forces and keep gangs in control.

According to the Washington Examiner, Jimmy Cherizier, leader of the G9 Family and Allies, the primary gang alliance that took over Port-au-Prince, said they will not back down despite the Kenyan mission to bring peace.

“We are at war,” said Cherizier, toting an automatic rifle through Port-au-Prince as he shouted to a crowd of his followers, their identities hidden by ski masks. “Any one of us can die,” he said to the crowd. “If they are not Haitian,” he said, “I will consider them invaders.”

Cherizier, a former Haiti police officer who was fired and joined a gang, said the gangs didn’t start out as rogue criminal organizations but rather an extension of the Haitian government. He said he lived in the pockets of politicians as both a police officer and gang member.

In 2018, police trucks arrived in Portau-Prince’s La Saline slums, where men in uniforms slaughtered civilians with rifles and machetes, according to the Associated Press. Cherizier’s involvement in the infamous La Saline Massacre led to sanctioning from the United States Office of Foreign Assets Control.

“I spent 14 years in the police,” Cherizier told a correspondent from the AP. “It’s traditional politicians who want you to do the dirty job of destabilizing a government that is in place.”

While Conille and Haiti’s Transitional Council are at work, U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick of Miramar, the only Haitian American woman Democrat in Congress, has introduced a plan to help stabilize her home country.

Cherfilus-McCormick co-sponsored legislation that would restore the Louverture Investment Plan, a 10-year, $50 million development program to strengthen democratic and judiciary institutions, invest in critical infrastructure, spur economic growth, and improve opportunities for women and youth to secure the people’s welfare.

The plan was named after renowned Haitian independence leader Toussaint Louverture, and the resolution came in advance of the 221st anniversary May 18 of the adoption of the Haitian Flag.

Cherfilus-McCormick’s plan covers a range of issues including enhanced infrastructure (roads, bridges, water sanitation systems), healthcare, food security, education, social services and a resiliency program for natural disasters.

The plan also calls for restoring democracy, building Haiti’s security forces, and regional economic cooperation between Haiti, the U.S. and other Caribbean nations.

Cherfilus-McCormick said the plan also would strengthen the relationship between the U.S. and Haiti.

"This resolution will not only support the well-deserved reconstruction plan for Haiti but will also encourage a Haitian-led effort to restabilize the country," she said.

For Haitians in the U.S. fearing they will be deported like the dozens sent back to their home country in April, the Biden administration last week extended Temporary Protection Status (TPS) to more than 300,000 Haitians nationwide, allowing them to live and work in the U.S. for the time being. The move was praised by Cherfilus-McCormick.

"After my fierce advocacy efforts and those of various Haitian American community leaders, I applaud the Biden administration’s recent decision to extend and redesignate TPS for Haiti," she said in a statement.

"As Haiti faces ongoing instability and gang violence, this action could not come at a more crucial time. This action reaffirms our nation’s commitment to upholding the principles of democracy and human rights."