WASHINGTON, United States (CMC) — The Trump administration says it is taking deportation actions against legal permanent residents in the United States (US) affiliated with the Haitian foreign terrorist organisation (FTO), Viv Ansanm.

“I am pleased to announce the latest US actions against individuals whose presence and activities in our country have potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States,” said US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a statement.

“Specifically, the Department of State has determined that certain individuals with US lawful permanent resident status have supported and collaborated with Haitian gang leaders connected to Viv Ansanm, a Haitian foreign terrorist organisation,” added the son of Cuban immigrants, who was born in Miami.

Rubio said Viv Ansanm is a driver of the violence and criminality in Haiti contributing to the island’s instability.

“The United States will not allow individuals to enjoy the benefits of legal status in our country while they are facilitating the actions of violent organisations or supporting criminal terrorist organisations,” said Rubio.

He said with this determination, the US Department of Homeland Security can pursue the removal of these individuals under the Immigration and Nationality Act.

“These new actions demonstrate the Trump administration’s firm commitment to protecting the American people, advancing our national security interests and promoting regional security and stability,” he said.

In May, the San Diego, California-based Haitian Bridge Alliance (HBA) urged the Trump administration to reverse its designation of FTOs for two prominent Haitian gangs.

At the time, Rubio announced the State Department’s designation of Viv Ansanm and Gran Grif as FTOs and specially designated global terrorists (SDGTs).

HBA said that it was “strongly” opposed to the designation of FTOs for the two Haitian gangs.

Instead, HBA urged the Trump administration to impose “targeted sanctions” under the global Magnitsky Act.

“The current designation, absent a comprehensive strategy that addresses Haiti’s insecurity and humanitarian crisis, would be legally unsound, diplomatically damaging and devastating to innocent Haitians,” HBA Executive Director Guerline Jozef told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC).

“Haitian gangs, while undeniably violent and destabilising, are criminal in nature, not ideological. Their motives are rooted in territorial control, extortion and survival amid state collapse— not in political or religious extremism.

“These groups do not fit the statutory definition of terrorism and should not be characterised to justify punitive immigration or security policies,” she added.

Meanwhile, HBA has condemned the Trump administration’s recent policy changes that strip millions of immigrants of their right to bond hearings and facilitate mass arrests during immigration court proceedings.

“These actions undermine the rule of law, violate constitutional protections and erode the integrity of the judicial system,” Jozef told CMC, noting that this policy applies retroactively to individuals who entered the US unlawfully, regardless of their duration of residence or ties to the community.