{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://clarke.house.gov/clarke-pressley-urge-state-dept-to-end-support-for-armed-foreign-intervention-in-haiti-support-democratic-transition/", "CLARKE, PRESSLEY URGE STATE DEPT. TO END SUPPORT FOR ARMED FOREIGN INTERVENTION IN HAITI, SUPPORT DEMOCRATIC TRANSITION", "2023-12-11", "2023", "2023-12", "Democrat", "House", "NY", "Yvette D. Clarke", "C001067", "clarke.house.gov", "clarke", "https://clarke.house.gov/category/press-release/", "scraper", "FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:\n\nDecember 11, 2023\n\nMEDIA CONTACT:\n\ne: brian.phillips@mail.house.gov\n\nc: 202.913.0126\n\nWashington, D.C. \u2014 Today, ahead of the 220th Anniversary of Haitian Independence Day, Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke (NY-09) and Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), Co-Chairs of the House Haiti Caucus, urged the U.S. Department of State to withdraw U.S. support for an armed foreign intervention in Haiti and encourage negotiations for a Haitian-led democratic political transition. The United Nations recently approved a U.S-drafted resolution supporting a Kenyan-led Multinational Security Support (MSS) in Haiti.\n\nIn their letter, the lawmakers expressed concern that a foreign military intervention further risks destabilizing the country, endangering more innocent people, and entrenching the current illegitimate regime.\n\n\u201cWe are gravely concerned that an armed foreign intervention will only serve as a tool to buttress an illegitimate leader and undermine efforts by a representative transitional government to define the actual support desired from the international community.,\u201d the lawmakers wrote. \u201cThe State Department should not override the will of the Haitian people \u2013 it is clear that a transitional government is the only viable path forward for Haiti to return to stability and democracy.\u201d\n\nTo further save the lives of Haitians and reduce violence on the island, the lawmakers urged the Administration to swiftly block arms shipments to Haiti and hold weapons traffickers and gang financiers accountable for their actions.\n\n\u201cCountering this continued gun trafficking to Haiti is a critical step to the security and stability of the country. We urge you to work with the relevant government agencies, including the Department of Justice, to take the steps necessary to put a robust anti-arms trafficking to Haiti strategy in place,\u201d the lawmakers continued. \u201cRather than hastily address this situation by supporting an armed foreign intervention \u2013 a strategy that has been tried and failed several times in Haiti \u2013 we urge you to take a holistic approach.\u201d\n\nIn addition to Rep. Clarke, the letter was signed by Representatives Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), Barabara Lee (CA-12), Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), and James P. McGovern (MA-02).\n\nA copy of the letter can be found here.\n\nAs a founding co-chair of the House Haiti Caucus, Rep. Clarke has consistently supported a compassionate, humanitarian response to the overlapping crises in Haiti that centers Haitian civil society.\n\nIn July 2021, Rep. Clarke, along with Reps. Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), Andy Levin (MI-09) and Val Demings (FL-10) issued a statement condemning the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Mo\u00efse and calling for an independent investigation into the criminal act.\n\nIn August 2022, Rep. Clarke, along with Reps. Val Demings (FL-10), Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), and Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (FL-20), called on President Biden to appoint a new Special Envoy to Haiti, a position that has remained unfilled since September 2021.\n\nIn January 2022, Caucus Co-Chairs Clarke, Demings, Levin, and Pressley released a statement following the 12 year anniversary of the catastrophic 7.0 magnitude earthquake that struck Haiti and devastated its civilian population.\n\nIn September 2022, Rep. Clarke and Rep. Ritchie Torres (NY-15) introduced a resolution calling for the acknowledgement of Haiti as the first free Black nation in the Americas, and how its longstanding \u201cdouble debt\u201d continues to damage the freedom and prosperity of the nation.\n\nRep. Clarke has consistently called on the Department of Homeland Security to end the practice of expelling migrants under Title 42 and to employ alternative forms of humanitarian relief for detainees subject to deportation for the remainder of the pandemic.\n\nIn August 2023, Rep. Clarke urged a Texas federal judge to preserve the humanitarian parole program responsible for saving the lives of countless migrant families from Haiti and other distressed nations.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:14:16Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://clarke.house.gov/clarke-pressley-urge-state-dept-to-end-support-for-armed-foreign-intervention-in-haiti-support-democratic-transition/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.1998730953782797, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}