Rep. Frederica Wilson Wants High-Level, Independent Special Envoy Appointed To Haiti Following Presidential Assassination
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Congresswoman Frederica Wilson is pushing for the Biden administration to appoint a high-level and independent special envoy to Haiti following the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse.
"This special envoy would convey a sense of urgency and ensure that Haiti's current crisis receives the necessary attention and high-level U.S. engagement," says Congresswoman Wilson.
Officials were demanding answers and change inside the Little Haiti Cultural Center on Thursday.
"If a president could be killed in his own house with all the security that he has, we know that no one is safe in Haiti," says Florida Representative Marie Woodson.
The assassination comes amid political and economic turmoil in Haiti.
"This is more dangerous and serious than we could ever imagine. It's not just a president who was assassinated, it was who assassinated him and why," says Congresswoman Wilson.
The impact of the assassination is being felt right across South Florida, as Miami is home to a large Haitian American population.
"When you attack the president of a country, you are trying to rip the very soul from the country," says Miami Mayor Francis Suarez.
Haiti's First Lady was also shot in the attack but survived and was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital on Wednesday where she remains in critical condition.
As for those behind the assassination, police in Haiti say they killed four suspects and arrested two others.
The Associated Press captured them on video being led by officers to a nearby truck and taken to police headquarters.