Several South Florida lawmakers want the Trump administration to stop the flow of illegal weapons and ammunition from the U.S., mainly Florida, to Haiti.
U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, D-Miramar, said Friday that she and more than 30 congressional colleagues signed a letter with their recommendations to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem.
Cherfilus-McCormick said Haiti "has seen a staggering influx of illicit U.S.-origin weapons 鈥� primarily funneled through South Florida."
She and the other lawmakers say 90% of illegal Caribbean-bound firearms shipments originated in Florida, including through the Miami River and Port Everglades.
READ MORE: Haiti's gangs have 'near-total control' of the capital, U.N. says
"These weapons are enabling gangs that now control over 90% of the capital, Port-au-Prince, to commit mass violence, displace over a million people, and kill thousands."
Gang violence began surging in Haiti following the of President Jovenel Mo茂se.
, the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti noted that at least 1,520 people were killed and more than 600 injured from April to the end of June. Nearly 80% of those incidents happened in Port-au-Prince, with nearly 20% reported in Haiti鈥檚 central region.
More than 60% of the killings and injuries occurred during operations by security forces against gangs, with another 12% blamed on self-defense groups.
The congressional lawmakers said the crisis in the Caribbean country threatens the U.S.
鈥淭he unabated flow of illicit arms to Haiti doesn鈥檛 just represent a threat to the safety of millions of Haitians on the island 鈥攊t threatens U.S. national security as the instability created by gangs using U.S.-manufactured weapons drives outward migration鈥� the lawmakers wrote to Trump administration officials.
Nearly 75% of firearms recovered and traced in the Caribbean could be linked to the United States, according to a Government Accountability Office report issued last year. Many of those weapons were initially sold through legal U.S. retail channels before being trafficked abroad.
In April, Cherfilus-McCormick, the only Haitian-American in Congress, . It's pending in House Committee on Armed Services.
Among the lawmakers' recommendations:
- Increase screening of outgoing cargo from high-risk ports in South Florida by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials.
- Partner with the U.S. Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms to trace weapons recovered in Haiti, mirroring U.S. efforts used in Mexico.
- Close shipping loopholes that "allow anonymous packages under $2,500 in declared value."
- Collaborate with the neighboring Dominican Republic to intercept arms moving through its territory.
Among South Florida lawmakers who signed the letter:
Rep. Lois Frankel, D-Boca Raton, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Weston and Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Miami Gardens.
Read the letter .
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
