WASHINGTON, March 15. /TASS/. The situation in Haiti is a timebomb waiting to explode, as it could lead to a new wave of migration to the US, says Renata Segura, Deputy Director for Latin America and the Caribbean at the International Crisis Group NGO.

"We’re talking about a ticking time bomb here. This could become a humanitarian emergency, very much like what’s happening in Gaza, at any moment. People will be fleeing for their lives," she told Politico.

According to UN data, cited by the newspaper, over 362,000 Haiti residents were forced to leave their homes due to the increasingly frequent violence in the country. US lawmakers and experts believe that this problem could affect the US’ southern border, as well as migration in the entire region, Politico notes.

On March 14, White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby said that US authorities currently do not register a significant influx of migrants from Haiti, but are considering all possibilities amid the deteriorating situation in the country.

US President Joe Biden has repeatedly been criticized for his migration policy. On January 24, US Senator Joe Manchin said that the situation on the US-Mexican border is "the greatest crisis" facing the US.

Situation in Haiti

Previously, the media reported that some Haitian criminal groups attempted to oust the government of Prime Minister Ariel Henry. On March 3, the Haitian authorities declared a state of emergency and imposed a curfew on the entire territory of the Ouest Department. Later, the state of emergency was prolonged in Port-au-Prince due to a standoff between armed gangs and law enforcement. On March 11, Henry announced that the government will resign when an interim presidential council is established.

The security and humanitarian situation in Haiti deteriorated after the assassination of President Jovenel Moise in 2021 and the earthquake later that year that took the lives of over 2,200 people. According to the Telesur TV channel, criminal gangs control over 80% of the capital. On March 1, an agreement was signed to send a Kenyan peacekeeping contingent of 1,000 policemen to combat crime in Haiti.