THE CENTER SQUARE—U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has designated two Haitian gangs as foreign terrorist organizations, adding to a list of transnational criminal organizations, including Mexican cartels and the violent Venezuelan prison gang Tren de Aragua.
Rubio designated the violent Haitian gangs, Viv Ansanm and Gran Grif, as FTOs and Specially Designated Global Terrorists, saying they “are the primary source of instability and violence in Haiti” and pose “a direct threat to U.S. national security interests in our region.”
Gang members, known for killing and attacking Haitians, Haitian security forces, and Multinational Security Support mission personnel, have vowed to overthrow the Haitian government. “Their ultimate goal is creating a gang-controlled state where illicit trafficking and other criminal activities operate freely and terrorize Haitian…
