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More than a year after a contingent of Kenyan police arrived in Haiti, the United States is proposing to replace the force with something bigger and better financed.
Aug. 28, 2025Updated 6:25 p.m. ET
The Trump administration on Thursday proposed a significantly larger force to wrest control of Haiti from the clutches of brutal gangs that have set off a major humanitarian crisis.
The move is an acknowledgment that a Kenyan-led international security mission on the ground for more than a year has largely failed to crush the explosion of gang violence in the Caribbean nation.
The United States and Panama presented a draft proposal to the U.N. Security Council on Thursday that would create a “gang-suppression force” with a maximum of 5,550 uniformed personnel. The force would have arrest and detention powers and more military-grade capabilities and lethal equipment.
The plan would also mandate a U.N. office in Haiti to supply logistical and operational support, which would help provide more stable funding, a key issue that has hampered the current security mission.
It was unclear whether the new plan would replace the Kenyan officers or expand on the force already in Haiti. A spokesman for the Kenyan-led force did not return a request for comment.
The Haitian prime minister’s office and a spokeswoman for the presidential council that runs the country also did not respond to a request for comment.
