Oversight Democrats Request Briefing from Administration On Efforts to Curb the Illicit Flow of U.S. Firearms to International Criminal Organizations

Washington, D.C. (June 5, 2024)—Rep. Jamie Raskin, Ranking Member of the Committee on Oversight and Accountability, Rep. Maxwell Alejandro Frost, and Rep. Jared Moskowitz led Committee Democrats in sending a letter to Merrick Garland, Attorney General of the United States, Steven Dettelbach, Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), and Katrina W. Berger, Executive Associate Director of Homeland Security Investigations, requesting a briefing on the Biden-Harris Administration’s ongoing efforts to curb the illicit flow of firearms purchased in American gun stores and gun shows to criminal organizations in Haiti, Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean.

“We are deeply troubled by reports that firearms originating in the United States being trafficked abroad are significantly fueling catastrophic gang violence in Haiti.  Recent reports suggest that the vast majority of firearms used by Haitian gangs were obtained by straw purchasers at gun stores and gun shows in the United States, particularly in Florida.  We are writing to request a briefing on federal efforts to combat the illicit flow of American firearms to criminal organizations and gangs abroad and to understand how Congressional action can help address this pressing problem,” wrote the Members.  

Haiti has been enveloped in a rapidly deteriorating humanitarian crisis since late February of this year.  The nation has seen a significant crime spike, which has been bolstered by American firearms trafficked through what experts call an “iron river.”  Officials estimate that 90% of the Caribbean’s murder weapons were obtained in the United States and then smuggled overseas.  Additionally, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that nearly half of all guns recovered from Central America between 2015 through 2019 were manufactured and initially obtained in the United States

“While these statistics are alarming, we recognize and applaud the numerous steps taken by Biden-Harris Administration to curtail straw purchases and limit the flow of American firearms trafficked to criminal organizations.  On June 25, 2022, President Biden signed into law the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which made firearm trafficking a federal crime and created stronger penalties for straw purchases.  In response to the dramatic rise of American-made weapons illicitly trafficked into the Caribbean, the Department of Homeland Security’s  Homeland Security Investigations in Miami, Florida, stood up additional efforts in August 2022 to crack down on illegal smuggling efforts through its Border Enforcement Security Taskforce.  However, loose gun laws across the United States—especially in Florida—have continued to enable and embolden international traffickers to obtain firearms at gun stores and gun shows to fuel violence and armed conflict abroad.  In light of the ongoing violence and threats to civilian safety, we believe that further action is needed to build on these efforts and ensure that American gun dealers are no longer a preferred focus of criminal international gun traffickers,” wrote the Members.

The Members requested a briefing no later than June 20, 2024, to better understand what legislative solutions are necessary to support and further federal efforts to block Haitian gangs, Mexican cartels, and other Central American and Caribbean criminal organizations from arming themselves at American gun stores and gun shows.

Click here to read the letter.