Just one month after the US special forces apprehended Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in a daring raid, the Trump administration’s “Operation Southern Spear” has now turned its attention to the Western Hemisphere’s most unstable and impoverished nation.
About three American warships, including the USS Stockdale, USCGC Stone, and USCGC Diligence, entered Haiti’s Port-au-Prince Bay earlier this week amid escalating gang violence and ongoing political instability in the Caribbean state.
The deployment is meant to “reflect the United States’ unwavering commitment to Haiti’s security, stability and a brighter future,” the US embassy in Haiti said in a post on X.
USS Stockdale is an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer capable of performing anti-air, anti-surface, and anti-submarine warfare, thanks to its sophisticated design and cutting-edge tech capabilities. It was part of the American Caribbean fleet deployed for counter-narcotics operations in the region last year.
Meanwhile, the USCGC Stone and USCGC Diligence are both active US Coast Guard cutters used for maritime security, law enforcement, search and rescue, and other missions. These vessels often work in tandem with the Navy on missions in the Western Hemisphere, particularly to counter transnational crime affecting places like Haiti.
According to the statement, the flotilla was dispatched “at the direction of the Secretary of War” Pete Hegseth as part of “Operation Southern Spear,” a US military operation that began last year with the objective of “detecting, disrupting, and degrading transnational criminal and illicit maritime networks.”
In fact, this operation is believed to be a cross-section between the American “war on drugs” and the “war on violence” in the Western Hemisphere, which the US considers its backyard, and wants to fully secure.
Operation Southern Spear has so far killed over 100 people in boat strikes against suspected drug traffickers in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific.
Nonetheless, the deployment of US warships to Haiti is intriguing because, unlike countries like Venezuela, which has major oil resources that have been of interest to the United States, or Iran, a major resource-rich strategic rival with nuclear ambitions, Haiti is an impoverished country that ranks among one of the world’s poorest.
Why Are US Warships Near Haiti?
While the Venezuelan Nicolas Maduro government was accused of supporting drug trafficking into the US, Haiti has come under the scanner for rampant gang violence, political instability, and a humanitarian disaster, among other things.
Located a few hundred miles from Florida, United States, Haiti has remained engulfed in chaos since President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated in July 2021. The government is essentially nonfunctional, the economy is practically stalled, basic services are failing, and the gangs now control almost 90% of the capital, Port-au-Prince.
The United Nations International Organisation for Migration reports that about two million people experience severe food insecurity and that over 1.4 million people have been internally displaced due to the violence and anarchy.
Haiti’s dysfunction directly affects US national interests, especially given Haiti’s proximity, shared regional dynamics, and Haitian migration into the United States.
Some reports suggest that the gangs in Haiti increasingly facilitate drug trafficking, arms smuggling, money laundering, and other illicit flows that spill over into the Caribbean and then into the United States.
Moreover, Haiti is strategically located in the Caribbean, and instability in the country risks broader spillover to neighbouring states, potentially creating vacuums for foreign influence or the expansion of criminal networks.
It must be noted that the Organised Crime Index claims that, because of Haiti’s lax policing and porous borders, transnational crime networks have flourished and are expected to continue importing drugs and weapons.
The US government earlier identified two Haitian gangs, the Gran Grif gang and the influential Viv Ansanm coalition, as foreign terrorist organisations.
The US policy in the Western Hemisphere emphasises preventing chaos in its backyard, aligning with other priorities such as countering external powers, including China and Russia, and maintaining influence in the region in line with the Monroe Doctrine.
Notably, the timing of this deployment coincides with two major developments in Haiti: the end of US Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for the Caribbean state, and the conclusion of the mandate of Haiti’s Transitional Presidential Council (TPC).
A major trouble brewing in Haiti is that the Transitional Presidential Council (TPC), a temporary, unelected body, has remained mired in infighting, and no elected national officials have held office since early 2023.
“This year marks the country’s fifth without a president, its tenth without holding presidential elections, and its third without a single democratically elected official in power. On February 7, the TPC—the nine-member interim body currently running the Haitian government—will reach the end of its mandate,” states an article in the Atlantic Council.
The TPC declared that elections were “materially impossible” by the February deadline due to the nation’s security situation, despite numerous attempts.
The date for the first round of elections has now been pushed to August 2026, although experts caution that the deadline will be challenging to meet without significant security improvements.
With the TPC’s tenure coming to an end, some members have made a desperate attempt to oust Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, the sitting prime minister.
On its part, the US has strongly backed Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, who is widely seen as aligned with US interests in fighting gangs, and has warned against any last-minute changes to the government structure as the TPC’s mandate neared expiration.
In fact, it imposed visa restrictions on several TPC members and officials accused of gang ties or criminal involvement, heightening a direct standoff with those who oppose the Prime Minister.
“The U.S. would consider anyone supporting such a disruptive step, favouring the gangs, to be acting contrary to the interests of the United States, the region, and the Haitian people, and will act accordingly,” Christopher Landau, the US Deputy Secretary of State, said on X.
The impending political vacuum in the country has prompted concerns of another massive, violent showdown in Haiti.
Despite recent efforts by police and a drone task force to reopen roads and push back armed gangs in the capital, political unpredictability, rumours of former President Michel Martelly possibly returning to Haiti, and concerns about mobilisations by certain groups have sparked fears that Haiti could be plunged into violence once again.
The other major cause of friction between Haiti and the US is the TPS.
The TPS is a bipartisan humanitarian protection program that permits temporary, but extendable, residency and employment in the US for migrants from nations considered dangerous. Experts believe that the Trump administration’s decision not to extend TPS for Haiti at this point runs the risk of worsening the nation’s downfall. It could backfire by encouraging more migration, the analysts have warned.
Even though the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has determined that the country is “safe” for return, mass deportations to an already fragile nation could increase internal displacement and spur more irregular migration, including to the neighbouring Dominican Republic and the United States, if there is no stable government in place to handle returns.
The deteriorating security situation has prompted the US to assist the local police and security forces. Last month, for instance, the United Nations’ special envoy for Haiti said that a security force supported by the UN had been sent to assist local police in combating armed gangs that have taken over much of the country, and promised that additional troops would be sent in April, reaching full strength by summer.
The UN envoy, Carlos Ruiz, stated that the force should reach the envisioned number of 5,500 troops by the summer or autumn at the latest. Currently, there are about 1,000 police officers in Haiti, most of whom are from Kenya.
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