Haiti Criminal Collusion Transparency Act of 2025
Click any stage to learn more about the legislative process.
Would require the Secretary of State to report annually to Congress on the ties between criminal gangs and political and economic elites in Haiti, and would mandate that the President impose visa and property-blocking sanctions on gang leaders and the elites who collude with them.
The bill targets a documented governance crisis in Haiti, where criminal gang networks have been linked to powerful political and business figures. It would expire after five years and includes exceptions to protect humanitarian aid operations.
What this bill would do
What it would do
The bill would require the Secretary of State, starting within 180 days of enactment and annually for five years, to submit a report to Congress identifying prominent criminal gangs in Haiti and their leaders, listing Haitian political and economic elites with direct links to those gangs, and assessing how collusion between them threatens the Haitian people and U.S. national interests. Within 90 days of each report, the President would be required to impose sanctions — including blocking U.S.-based property and revoking visas — on all individuals identified in the report.
The bill would not apply sanctions to transactions involving humanitarian assistance, agricultural goods, food, medicine, or medical devices for Haiti, and it would not authorize sanctions on the importation of goods. The President could waive sanctions by certifying to Congress that doing so serves U.S. national interests. All authorities under the Act would sunset five years after enactment.
Key provisions
- 1Would require the Secretary of State to submit a report within 180 days of enactment, and annually for five years, identifying Haitian gang leaders, political and economic elites linked to gangs, and how that collusion threatens U.S. interests.
- 2Would require the President to impose property-blocking and visa sanctions within 90 days of each report on all foreign persons identified as gang leaders or gang-linked elites.
- 3Would block and prohibit all U.S.-based property transactions involving sanctioned foreign persons, using International Emergency Economic Powers Act authorities.
- 4Would make sanctioned aliens inadmissible to the United States and immediately revoke any existing visas or entry documentation.
- 5Would exempt humanitarian assistance, food, medicine, and medical devices for Haiti from sanctions, and allow the President to waive sanctions with a national-interest certification to Congress.
- 6Would apply civil and criminal penalties under IEEPA to any person who violates, attempts to violate, or conspires to violate the sanctions regulations.
- 7Would sunset all authorities under the Act five years after enactment.
Who would be affected
Haitian political and economic elites — including current and former government officials, senior staff, political party leaders, and executives of major corporations or other entities — who are linked to criminal gangs. Gang leaders themselves would face sanctions. U.S. persons and financial institutions would be prohibited from transacting with sanctioned individuals. Humanitarian organizations operating in Haiti are explicitly shielded from the sanctions.
Why it matters
For Haitian individuals identified in State Department reports, sanctions would mean immediate visa revocations and freezing of any U.S.-held assets, cutting off access to U.S. financial markets and territory. For U.S. businesses and individuals, transactions with sanctioned persons would carry civil and criminal penalties under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. Humanitarian groups operating in Haiti would be protected from collateral impact.
What would change
Changes to existing law
Amends International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) (Sec. 3(b)(1), Sec. 3(d))
Authorizes property-blocking sanctions and applies IEEPA's civil and criminal penalty provisions to violations of regulations implementing these Haiti-specific sanctions.
Amends Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101 et seq.) (Sec. 3(b)(2))
Makes sanctioned aliens inadmissible and requires immediate revocation of existing visas or entry documentation under INA Section 221(i).
Agencies directed to act
Effective dates
- Initial State Department report due to Congress
- President must impose sanctions after each report is submitted
- All Act authorities sunset
Funding and costs
Congressional Budget Office estimate
CBO estimates that implementing H.R. 2643 would cost less than $500,000 over the 2025–2030 period, an insignificant effect on the federal budget.
H.R. 2643 would require the Administration to impose sanctions on prominent Haitian criminal gangs, their leaders, and political and economic elites in Haiti who have direct links to those criminal gangs. CBO estimates that implementing the bill would have a negligible cost, primarily related to administrative work by relevant federal agencies to identify and designate sanctioned individuals and entities. The bill would not impose intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined under the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act.
How implementation would work
The Secretary of State would coordinate with other federal agencies to produce a classified-annex-eligible report within 180 days of enactment and annually for five years. The report triggers a mandatory 90-day clock for the President to designate sanctions targets. Property blocking would be executed under International Emergency Economic Powers Act authorities; visa revocations would be carried out by consular officers or the Secretaries of State and Homeland Security. Violations of implementing regulations would carry the civil and criminal penalties established in IEEPA Section 206. The President may waive sanctions with written certification to eight specified congressional committees.
Legislative status & sources
Latest action
Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
Official CRS summary
Show the CRS summaryHide the CRS summary
This 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.
Legislative subjects
Caribbean area; Congressional oversight; Criminal procedure and sentencing; Foreign aid and international relief; Foreign property; Haiti; International Affairs; Organized crime; Political parties and affiliation; Presidents and presidential powers, Vice Presidents; Rule of law and government transparency; Sanctions; Visas and passports