The United States has sent a major Coast Guard vessel to patrol the waters near Port-au-Prince in a “sign of resolve” with the Haitian government as gang violence continues to grip the nation, and will impose new visa restrictions on Haitians involved in gang activity, the Biden administration said Wednesday.
But senior administration officials said it was “premature” to discuss a potential U.S. troop presence in the country, despite a Haitian government request last week that international forces intervene to help break a gang blockade of the country’s largest fuel terminal, and provide assistance to contain a growing cholera outbreak.
“I think it’s premature to start thinking whether the United States is going to have a physical presence inside of Haiti,” one senior administration official said.
