Haitian PM Conille stopped in Miami to meet with U.S. Rep. Wilson, local Haitian leaders

On his way to Washington, D.C., Haiti Prime Minister Garry Conille stopped in Miami for a meeting in Little Haiti with U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson and local Haitian-American leaders.

Originally scheduled to be a 45-minute closed door meeting at Notre Dame d’Haiti Catholic Church, 110 NE 62nd St., the visit ran for well over two hours

Conille left Haiti on Friday as Kenyan troops started patrolling downtown Port-au-Prince alongside Haitian SWAT team members.

Wilson said that in addition to the Kenyan security assistance, Conille explained to the group in attendance how “we can come up with safe and secure elections without the corruption” that’s marred some past elections in Haiti.

Constitution formation, humanitarian aid, healthcare and getting kids into activities to prevent gang recruitment at elementary school age also were discussed.

“We’re going to come out of this meeting with a list of demands for the Biden-Harris administration to support Haiti,” said Wilson.

Other than a statement on the role of the Haitian diaspora in the country’s full recovery — “We know for sure that the only way we get out of this successfully in the next 20 months is if our brothers and sisters in the diaspora are actively engaged in the process” — Conille took no questions from the media.

Wilson said, ”We want to make sure that this mission is Haitian-led. That’s what the Haitian people are demanding. They demanded that, they made it clear to the federal government. So, the federal government is trying to give them space to do that. That’s our mission today.”

Along with Wilson, Conille’s Washington, D.C., allies include U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick from Broward’s District 20; U.S. Rep, Jan Schakowsky of Illinois; and U.S. Rep New York’s Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y.), a trio who introduced a resolution to establish the $50 billion Louverture Investment Plan in May. 1

The plan, named after Haitian independence leader Touissaint Louverture, is described on Cherfilus-McCormick’s website as a “10-year, $50 billion development program to rebuild Haiti, to stabilize the country, strengthen democratic and judiciary institutions, invest in critical infrastructure, spur economic growth...”

North Miami Vice Mayor Mary Estime-Irvin, who also serves as chairwoman for the National Haitian American Elected Official Network, said: “We’re having conversations on actually turning that into a bill to make sure that there is stability and infrastructure dollars for Haiti.

“It’s in the interest of the United States to make sure Haiti is secure and safe.”