Haiti to probe US deportees over gang, financial crime ties, CPT president says

PORT-AU-PRINCE — In an interview with a pool of reporters from international media outlets, including The Haitian Times, Fritz Alphonse Jean, president of Haiti’s Transitional Presidential Council (CPT), announced Monday new efforts to investigate Haitian nationals deported from the United States for alleged financial crimes or suspected gang affiliations.

Jean said the CPT, in coordination with Haiti’s justice sector, has adopted a new protocol to evaluate deportees before release, amid rising violence that continues to claim the lives of both civilians and law enforcement personnel.

“We cannot receive Haitian citizens who have been singled out, especially by the United States, and do nothing,” Jean said. 

“When they return, we cannot simply act as if nothing happened.”

A protocol consisting of four articles, adopted July 28 by the Ministry of Justice and Public Security, outlines procedures for investigating deportees flagged by the U.S. for financial or gang-related offenses:

• Article 1: Deportees accused of financial crimes or gang support must be handed over to the Government Commissioner upon arrival.
• Article 2: They will be held under the commissioner’s authority at the judicial police agency (DCPJ) or a suitable detention center.
• Article 3: The Government Commissioner must prepare and forward the case file to an investigating judge.
• Article 4: The case must be supplemented by evidence from Haiti’s financial crimes units (UCREF, ULCC, BAFE, IGF).

The announcement follows U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) statement on the imminent deportation of oligarch businessman-turned-politician Pierre Réginald Boulos. ICE said Boulos concealed political affiliations and alleged ties to violence on his residency application and would be met by Haiti’s Anti-Corruption Unit upon arrival.

Transnational crime and gaps in security

Jean emphasized that Haiti is not facing isolated criminal groups, but a broader web of transnational crime that includes arms trafficking, money laundering and highly organized operations.

He confirmed that 400 Haitian police officers will be trained in Colombia, with 150 already sent to Mexico as part of ongoing bilateral cooperation. He also acknowledged the existence of a contract with a foreign private security firm assisting the Haitian National Police (PNH).

“In terms of personnel, we face a serious shortage,” Jean said. “But beyond that, there are major gaps in training, logistics, equipment and technology.”

Jean added that international partners initially underestimated the threat, treating it as local gang activity rather than organized crime. This misunderstanding limited the effectiveness of the multinational mission currently supporting Haiti.

The CPT president, whose five-month term ends next month—when another councilor, Laurent Saint-Cyr, will take over—confirmed, for the second time, the existence of a contract between the Haitian government and a foreign private security firm assisting the national police on the ground. He declined to reveal further details, citing the strategic nature of the agreement and the need for confidentiality.

He explained that such partnerships are necessary because of the limited size of Haiti’s security forces — about 10,000 police officers and only 1,300 military personnel, as the military is still going through restructuring.

Electoral concerns and displaced voters

Jean said the CPT remains committed to holding elections before Feb. 7, 2025, when power needs to be transferred to elected officials—despite growing obstacles. A major concern, he said, is ensuring voting access for residents displaced from gang-controlled areas.

Plans are underway, he said, to allow these voters to cast ballots outside their original districts. A pilot initiative is also in development to allow diaspora participation in the upcoming vote.

While no official date has been announced for the elections or a controversial constitutional referendum, the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) has full authority to organize them.

“We will do everything essential and necessary on our part to make the elections possible,” Jean said.

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