Rep. Maria Salazar, R-Fla., told Newsmax on Thursday the Biden administration needs to be more proactive in building an international coalition to help Haiti deal with a political and humanitarian crisis.
Gangs led by Jimmy "Barbecue" Chérizier and his group G9 have seized the national airport in the capital of Port-au-Prince and taken control of the city, forcing Prime Minister and interim President Ariel Henry to resign. Henry had been in charge since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in July 2021.
"Where is the Biden administration? Where are the Canadians? Where are the French and the rest of our brothers in Latin America?" Salazar asked on "Eric Bolling The Balance." "This is not only a South Florida or Florida problem or United States of America problem. This is a hemisphere problem. And, unfortunately, the poor Haitians have been in one crisis after another.
"But now things are worse than ever because Barbecue and the Gang of Nine control the airport in Port-au-Prince; they control the capital. One of the worst things that they're doing is that they're using sexual violence as a political tool. Terrible."
The U.S. has pledged $300 million toward a U.N. multinational mission, announced last year, that would involve the deployment of 1,000 Kenyan police officers to Haiti to try to suppress the chaos. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced Monday an additional $33 million in humanitarian assistance for the people of Haiti.
"We cannot be sending $300 million, which is what the State Department would like us to send, without a perfect plan," said Salazar, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. "Where are we going to spend that money? The same thing we're doing with Ukraine. Where's the plan? How are we going to spend it? What's the exit plan?"
South Florida has a large Haitian population, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis reportedly has directed National Guard troops and more law enforcement to the area in anticipation of an expected wave of refugees. Salazar said the U.S. can't take them into the country, given the ongoing crisis at the southern border, but they also can't send them back to Haiti.
"We need to bring the international, at least Caribbean, community and say, 'You need to help us,'" Salazar said. "And Canada. And the French. ... The Biden administration needs to be a lot more forceful and say, 'We're going to be leading, but we need a lot of people following us.'"
Salazar suggested a temporary plan, such as finding a haven at the Guantanamo Bay military base, which housed Haitian and Cuban refugees in the 1990s.
"The Guantanamo idea could be something feasible, just like we did with the Cubans years ago," said Salazar, the daughter of Cuban exiles who fled to Miami. "Maybe we could put them in a safe land while we figure out how we can send them back. We cannot leave them in the middle of the ocean. We cannot bring them on land, because look what's happening at the southern border. But we can give them some type of refuge and put them in Guantanamo."
About NEWSMAX TV:
NEWSMAX is the fastest-growing cable news channel in America!
- Find Newsmax channel in your home via cable and satellite systems – More Info Here
- Watch Newsmax+ on your home TV app or smartphone and watch it anywhere! Try it for FREE -- See More Here: NewsmaxPlus.com
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.