Biden touts $100 million in pledges for Haiti security mission in farewell remarks

As President Joe Biden’s term comes to a close, he released a farewell note on Jan. 15 outlining his administration’s priorities and accomplishments. Among them, Biden highlighted his role in rallying $100 million in pledges for the Kenyan-led Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission aimed at addressing Haiti’s gang crisis.

“The Biden-Harris Administration rallied partners from every region of the world to support the people of Haiti, leveraging multilateral platforms to spotlight the crisis in Haiti and raising over $100 million in partner country pledges,” the White House cited in a fact sheet about the Biden-Harris administration record.

The UN-backed initiative, which Biden’s team called “the first of its kind,” aims to address the country’s security and humanitarian crises. Yet, while the administration’s leadership in securing international support was significant, the scope and pace of the mission has raised questions about whether it can bring lasting stability to Haiti.

Rallying global support for a security mission

Haiti has been gripped by escalating political and humanitarian crises, exacerbated by the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse. The lack of a functioning government, coupled with rising gang violence, has plunged the capital, and by extension, the rest of the country into near-total dysfunction. Armed groups control much of the capital, Port-au-Prince, and major supply routes, displacing thousands of Haitians and cutting off access to critical resources like food and healthcare.

While many have welcomed the support from the U.S. for the international mission, critics argue more needs to be done to address the issues facing Haiti. 

“Haiti’s security crisis is worse now than four years ago, with gang violence paralyzing the economy and daily life. Washington’s response has felt piecemeal,” said Miralène Louis, a Palm Beach State College student and first-time voter from Lantana in a Nov. 2024 interview with The Haitian Times.

“We needed more than financial aid. We needed a coordinated plan,” Louis said, whose parents are from Liancourt, a gang-infested commune in the Artibonite department. 

Advocacy groups and members of the Haitian diaspora have also raised concerns about whether the mission addresses the deeper structural problems in Haiti, such as weak governance and lack of economic opportunities, which contribute to the cycle of instability.

“Though Biden’s administration did deliver for Haiti in many ways,” Cathleen Jeanty, a foreign policy researcher at the Washington D.C.-based think tank Haiti Policy House, said in a Nov. 2024 interview with The Haitian Times. 

“The progress was entirely too incremental to be categorized as a full-scale win that Haitians and the Haitian Diaspora who voted for him had hoped for.”

A mixed record on immigration impacting Haitians

While the MSS mission represents Biden’s most visible contribution to Haiti’s security crisis, his administration’s broader record on the country remains complex. On immigration, Biden extended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians in the U.S., shielding tens of thousands from deportation amid Haiti’s turmoil – a move that was in stark contrast to incoming President Donald Trump’s stance during his first term.

Despite the extension in Jan. 2021, many in the Haitian community hoped for a permanent pathway to residency in the United States, and faced backlash for continuing deportation flights to Haiti throughout his presidency.

The Biden-Harris administration also implemented the humanitarian parole program in 2022 that allowed for tens of thousands of Haitians to enter the U.S. with temporary legal status. The program was launched as part of the administration’s efforts to manage undocumented migration at the U.S.-Mexico border. Migrants were granted parole to enter legally, contingent on passing health and background checks, and having financial sponsorship.

In October 2024, the administration announced it would not renew the program, the “Biden Parole Program,” for Haitian nationals, with critics arguing repatriation to Haiti under current conditions will endanger lives. 

As Biden exits the White House, his administration’s efforts in Haiti leave a mixed legacy. The $100 million secured for the MSS mission demonstrates his ability to rally international cooperation, but its delayed implementation left many Haitians questioning whether the mission will deliver tangible results.

Domestically, programs like TPS and the parole initiative offered critical lifelines to Haitian migrants, but their gains were undercut by continued deportations and limited eligibility for relief.

For Haitians and the diaspora, Biden’s presidency reflects both progress and missed opportunities. The next administration will inherit a complex relationship with Haiti, where urgent action is needed to address deepening crises. Whether the MSS mission will fulfill its promise remains to be seen, but it serves as a reminder of the critical role global and U.S. leadership must play in Haiti’s future.

The post Biden touts $100 million in pledges for Haiti security mission in farewell remarks appeared first on The Haitian Times.