geoff: Months of chaos and
raging gang violence came to a
head in 80.
The prime minister stranded in
Puerto Rico and unable to return
to his nation announced late
last night that he would resign
as soon as a transitional
government is in lace and
chosen.
That force would help bolster
depleted and beaten Haitians and
security services that have been
fighting heavily armed gangs for
years, but that violence has
recently been made worse by an
influx of more and more powerful
weapons.
As our special correspondent
tells us, the weapons fueling
the violence mostly come from
the U.S.
>> This is where the majority of
weapons in Haiti come from,
Miami, Florida.
But not from the giant
containers leaving the port of
Miami, but from this five mile
stretch of the Miami river where
officials say they are nearly
impossible to find.
We went to one of several small
shipping terminals along the
Miami river which specialize in
break bulk cargo.
We met Anthony Salsberry, a
special agent in charge of
homeland security investigations
in Miami.
>> When you go to a modernized
port like the port of Miami,
giant cranes loading them onto
cargo ships, and a lot of access
control and security, lots of
paperwork.
What you have here are loosely
packed crates, very informal
shipping, very unclear what the
commodity is and how much is
going out.
>> Very hard to police.
>> Wow.
This is a typical warehouse
filled with packages all bound
for Haiti.
>> We have some of the best
interdict her's and inspectors
in the world, but this is
daunting.
There is no way anybody can do
it.
>> Packages are already sealed.
They are lacking proper
documentation.
Anything claimed to be worth
less than $2500 does not have to
be declared.
>> Just last year, homeland
security announced a crackdown
after hades customs agency found
a shipment of arms in a package
labeled church donations.
But this can only be searched
one by one with mobile x-ray
units.
It can take a month just to go
through this warehouse.
>> We have to handload pallets
through the x-ray.
>> You have to move this pallet
to x-ray it?
>> Yes.
>> Wow.
We saw batteries, construction
equipment, even entire cars.
Mostly, we saw sealed up drums
and cardboard boxes.
Packages sent by Haitian
Americans.
Poverty and hunger are rampant.
>> The department of homeland
security has to balance that on
a whole.
We want to not slow down the
flow of commerce.
But can you buy guns?
Sure.
>> The principal source of guns
in Haiti is Florida, guns about
their individual or strong hand
purchases in U.S. States were
gun laws are lax.
Handguns sold Florida gun shows
draw as much as 20 times more in
Haiti.
Are you seeing any sort of
thread?
Is there any implication that
there might be a structure
leading this?
>> That is what the goal is, to
identify these networks.
We have increased our
partnerships with our
international operation.
>> While law enforcement
officials are focused on gun
trafficking along the Miami
river, new legislation is being
developed to determine who is
buying the guns.
They have blood from the day
before.
These are people who can afford
to do this.
These people are hired, they are
given guns, they are carrying
out missions.
But what is the mission, who is
benefiting from it?
>> Before the latest round of
violence, we sat down with the
cosponsor of the Haiti
transparency act now on its way
to the senate.
It requires the state department
to present annual reports to
congress on ties between
criminal gangs and economics in
Haiti, information it doesn't
routinely share.
>> The state department would
have to report any actors who
participated on those who
contributed to the gangs sending
the guns.
>> In addition to sanctions,
last year, the U.N. Authorized a
national security support
mission in Haiti to be led by
Kenyan forces with funding from
the U.S.
After a deal was reached last
week to send 1000 police
officers, today can you put a
hold on the deal.
Back in the U.S., congress has
only released a small portion of
the funding.
Yesterday in light of the recent
violence, they reiterated
support for the mission.
>> Every moment we are waiting
on this mission is every single
day that we are actively losing
lives of Haitian people and
Americans.
But it has raised eyebrows.
The U.S. Led a brutal occupation
of Haiti in 1915 that lasted for
almost two decades.
In 2010, U.N. Peacekeepers
brought cholera to the country,
which killed almost 10,000
people and remains an epidemic
to this day.
She is the only haitian-american
member of congress enter
district has one of the highest
haitian-american populations in
the country.
>> We have to stop the torture.
We need to have a
haitian-american in congress the
people set is for this time and
this moment.
For people who say don't
intervene --
>> A major lifeline has been
humanitarian.
It allows Haitians to live and
work in the U.S. For two years.
It has come under attack by
Republicans who blocked a
bipartisan border security bill.
>> The only way out of Haiti
right now, if you remove the
parole program, that is a death
sentence for every Haitian
living in Haiti.
8 million people will be
condemned to a death sentence.
The only way you get out is the
boats that come to Miami, I have
seen them at the border.
How do we tell them that?
>> While violence rages and
humanitarian disaster looms, a
pipeline is vital for so many in
need.
But it is also a perfect way for
gun smugglers to move the
weapons.
>> He says his company has been
sending packages to Haiti for
the last decade and his
customers know not to send
weapons.
>> Keep it for yourself.
>> While agents do make random
inspections, Charles said they
have never found anything.
He says it is because they
document every package and trust
his system.
>> It looks informal to us, but
you have information on each and
every package.
You know who is spending what.
>> First I'm going to ask you,
your passport with a U.S. Visa.
>> Relationships with you guys
are important.
>> Charles has lived in the U.S.
For 38 years.
He said he has an allegiance to
both countries.
>> Both.
My allegiance, the United States
and Haiti.
So far, I'm happy and I sleep
good.
>> Do you worry about those
stories giving people like
yourself?
>> Yet somehow guns make it
through.
Whether it is the flow of
weapons or the power of the
gangs who wield them.
Shutting down either seems next
to impossible, it is the
Haitians who suffer.
For the pbs newshour, I'm in
Miami, Florida.
♪♪