House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Rep. Frederica Wilson held a roundtable discussion Thursday with Miami's most prominent Haitian Americans. The group informed the speaker of the Haitian people's desire to choose their own leadership without American interference.

The complaints are a result of the ill effects of a 1994 U.S. military operation that sought to reshape the government of Haiti into something more U.S.-friendly. Time Magazine, reporting on the 25th anniversary of "Operation Uphold Democracy," highlighted the lasting effects the military interference has had on Haitian lives.

"The people of Haiti are saying, ‘My goodness, let us govern ourselves. Let us find our own path… just support us,’” Gepsie Metellus, the executive director of Sant La Haitian Neighborhood Center, said to the Miami Herald. “What do people want to see? They want to see the United States ask, ‘What do you want and how can we help you get it?’ We don’t want the United States or Canada or France or the rest of our friends dictating. We don’t want to be dictated to.”


While some approached the meeting ready for compromise, others, like activist Carline Paul, sent a much more blunt message when sharing her demands with Pelosi.

“The people of Haiti say, ‘No interference. No [Temporary Protected Status] deportations after Jan. 20, no more support of President Jovenel Moïse as president of Haiti,” Paul said, according to the Miami Herald.

The meeting took place during a time of great turmoil for Haiti, with leading human rights groups in the country claiming that at least 17 people have been killed and 187 have been injured, including journalists, between Sept. 16 and Sept. 30.

“This process should remain firmly rooted in democracy and the respect for the rule of law, and address the country’s pressing economic and social concerns. We support the Haitian people’s aspirations for a better life,” a state department spokesperson for the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs said in a statement reported by the Miami Herald. “We have reiterated that goal as recently as Deputy Secretary Sullivan’s meeting with Haitian Foreign Minister Edmond on September 26.”

Although Speaker Pelosi took note of the group's concerns, she refused to assure them that U.S. intervention will end, remaining steadfast in her support of leaders who came out against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro after the accusation was raised by a panelist that President Trump was supporting Moïse because of the Haitian president’s decision to vote against Maduro.

“Maduro is a thug,” Pelosi replied, adding that Maduro is behind injustices and horrors in Venezuela that she could not condone. “I cannot let my view of Maduro go unspoken in a group of this kind.”

With Haitian Americans' grievances finally being heard and considered, Rep. Wilson said she has a lot to think about. Her main goal is still centered in helping Haiti and its citizens step away from corrupt government control, starting with ending violent protests or removing the current president from office.

Haiti-ProtestHouse-Speaker-Nancy-PelosiRep. Frederica S. Wilson