Haiti Criminal Collusion Transparency Act of 2025
Haiti Criminal Collusion Transparency Act of 2025
Plain Language Summary
# Haiti Criminal Collusion Transparency Act of 2025 - Summary **What it does:** This bill directs the President to identify and punish foreign individuals and organizations that work with Haiti's criminal gangs. The State Department would create reports listing major gang leaders and any Haitian political or business elites (government officials, executives, board members) who have direct connections to these gangs. The President would then impose sanctions—blocking visas and freezing property—against those identified individuals and organizations. **Who it affects:** The bill primarily targets foreign entities and individuals supporting Haiti's gangs, as well as Haitian political and economic leaders accused of gang connections.
It could also indirectly affect Haiti's economy and governance if key business or political figures are sanctioned. **Current status:** The bill passed the House of Representatives and is now awaiting consideration in the Senate. The bill aims to increase transparency about corruption and gang involvement in Haiti's leadership while giving the U.S. government tools to pressure individuals suspected of supporting organized crime.
CRS Official Summary
Haiti Criminal Collusion Transparency Act of 2025This bill requires the President to impose visa- and property-blocking sanctions on foreign individuals and entities that are involved in or have direct ties to prominent criminal gangs in Haiti.Specifically, the Department of State must periodically report to Congress on the ties between criminal gangs and political and economic elites in Haiti. The report must list (1) prominent criminal gangs in Haiti and the leaders thereof, and (2) Haitian political and economic elites who have direct links to criminal gangs and any organizations or entities controlled by these individuals. The President must impose sanctions on listed individuals and entities.Under the bill, the term economic elites means board members, officers, and executives of groups, corporations, or other entities that exert substantial influence or control over Haiti’s economy, infrastructure, or particular industries. Political elites means current and former government officials and their high-level staff and political party or committee leaders.The bill also applies civil and criminal penalties to persons that violate, attempt to violate, conspire to violate, or cause a violation of the regulations promulgated to carry out such sanctions.
Latest Action
Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.