Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla., chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, described conditions in Haiti after leading a bipartisan congressional delegation to Port-au-Prince, the first such U.S. visit in a decade. The Florida Republican said he witnessed widespread destruction consistent with ongoing gang violence that has plagued the country since the July 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moise.
Mast told Fox News Digital that gangs have effectively isolated neighborhoods by blocking streets with rubble and digging ditches to impede security forces. "Some of these areas are like Afghanistan, and it is probably the poorest place I've ever been through in my life," Mast said. The delegation was hosted by Haiti's prime minister at a palace that Mast said had been a war zone one year prior but where government forces have since reclaimed territory.
A State Department spokesperson said the administration has no higher priority than the safety and security of Americans, adding that officials were aware of reports of an American child kidnapped for ransom in Haiti. The department declined to provide further details out of respect for the family's privacy.
Mast described incidents he was shown during his visit, including video footage depicting the killing of a heavy machinery operator who had been working with police to clear gang blockages. According to Mast's account, gangs kidnapped the man's family and offered to trade them for his surrender. He said the individual turned himself over and was subsequently killed.
Mast also described learning about the kidnapping of an American child in Haiti. "There was a 6-year-old American citizen girl," Mast said. "I don't want to say that she was raped, but there were health issues that led to believe that she was also raped." He said the girl had been held for at least 46 days before being released following what he described as an agreement on ransom payment.
What the Right Is Saying
Mast argued that political corruption has been a primary driver of Haiti's instability. "This started with political people starting gangs there for their own benefit," he said. "Most of the politicians there are beyond guilty of pillaging their own country."
On immigration policy, Mast suggested that returning TPS holders could actually strengthen Haiti's security forces. He proposed recruiting able-bodied males into police and military units that have been depleted by emigration. "All of these people took the chance to say 'Okay, I'm leaving,' and it left their forces that are supposed to protect the country essentially with no forces," Mast said.
Conservative lawmakers have generally supported the administration's approach of focusing on security solutions in Haiti, including support for an international coalition of forces and U.S.-linked paramilitary groups working to counter gang influence. They argue that without establishing basic security, other forms of assistance cannot be effective.
What the Left Is Saying
Progressive Democrats have called for increased humanitarian aid and diplomatic engagement with Haiti's transitional government. They argue that addressing root causes of migration, including poverty and political instability, requires sustained investment in development programs alongside security measures.
Some Democratic lawmakers have pushed back against the Trump administration's decision to end Temporary Protected Status for Haitians who received protections following the 2010 earthquake. Critics note that returning potentially hundreds of thousands of people to a country experiencing active gang violence could destabilize the region further and create humanitarian crises.
Humanitarian organizations working in Haiti have advocated for international support for civilian protection efforts, emphasizing that ordinary Haitians caught between gangs and under-resourced security forces need safe corridors and access to basic services.
What the Numbers Show
Haiti has experienced escalating gang violence since Moise's assassination in July 2021, with multiple armed groups now controlling significant portions of Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas. The United Nations and international observers have documented thousands of deaths attributable to gang violence in recent years.
The State Department estimates that several hundred thousand Haitians who received TPS following the 2010 earthquake could be affected by its termination. Many arrived in the United States as children and have established families, businesses, and community ties over the intervening 16 years.
International forces including a U.S.-supported multinational security mission have been working to retake gang-held territory in the capital. While officials report gradual progress, complete restoration of government control across Port-au-Prince remains a distant goal.
The Bottom Line
The congressional delegation represents the first high-level U.S. engagement with Haiti in a decade, signaling renewed attention to a crisis that has largely escaped sustained American focus. Mast's accounts of gang violence, including atrocities against civilians and foreign nationals, underscore the severity of conditions on the ground.
Divergences remain between approaches favoring security-focused interventions and those advocating for comprehensive humanitarian support alongside diplomatic engagement. The TPS decision adds another layer of complexity, as thousands of Haitians in the United States face potential return to conditions that critics describe as untenable.
What happens next will likely depend on the effectiveness of international security operations, the stability of Haiti's transitional government, and broader U.S. policy determinations about the appropriate level of engagement with a country that has struggled with governance for decades.