By: Staff Writer
October 4, 2024
A coalition of 12 US Attorney General’s are calling on the US congress to pass the Caribbean Arms Trafficking Causes Harm (CATCH) Act.
Letitia James, New York’s Attorney General is leading the charge as the coalition outlines a number of measures the US Congress can take to help reduce gun trafficking into the Caribbean, including ensuring inspectors at ports have enough resources to make inspections.
This piece of proposed legislation, if passed, would attempt to slow down gun trafficking from the US to the Caribbean, providing more resources at ports for inspections and additional funding for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Kwame Raoul, Illinois State Attorney General and the son of Haitian immigrants, says in part through a statement issued to the media that stopping guns headed into Caribbean countries such as Jamaica and Haiti would help provide better stability in these countries.
“Without action, firearms will continue to be imported illegally, increasing instability and further jeopardizing the safety of millions who call the Caribbean home. I will continue to work to address gun violence in all its forms and advocate for laws that address firearm trafficking wherever it occurs,” Raoul also said.
This comes as several CARICON countries, Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, The Bahamas, Jamaica, St Vincent and the Grenadines and Trinidad and Tobago have joined an amicus curiae (friend of the court) brief filed by Mexico appealing a decision in US court to hold gun makers responsible for facilitating the trafficking of deadly weapons across the border.
The brief is a multi-billion dollar appeal that was applied for by Mexico but was rejected by US Courts last year.
Also, according to the coalition, an alarming surge in firearms originating from the U.S. being smuggled into the Caribbean has been noted. This surge contributes significantly to the region’s rising gun violence.
The coalition’s letter drew attention to a 2023 United Nations report, revealing a stark reality wherein the U.S. features as a principal source of firearms in countries like Haiti, where the proliferation of arms has fueled gang dominance and imperiled security efforts.
The situation also hampers humanitarian aid efforts, an issue echoed by the situation in Jamaica, where the Security Ministry estimates that no less than 200 guns make their way from the U.S. each month. Jamaica, grappling with one of the highest per capita homicide rates globally, is a testament to the urgency highlighted by a letter delineating the adverse impacts of this transnational concern.