OFFICIALS LEGISLATION INTEREST GROUPS PUBLIC STATEMENTS COMMITTEES VETOES

End Gun Violence in the Virgin Islands

Floor Speech

Date: Dec. 18, 2024
Location: Washington, DC

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Ms. PLASKETT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to address a crisis in the Virgin Islands.

On December 13, a shooting claimed the life of another of my constituents. My deepest condolences go to the families and loved ones of each of the 42 victims who have died by homicide in 2024 in the Virgin Islands.

Throughout the Caribbean, gun violence, driven by unemployment and drug and human trafficking, is pervasive.

During a recent codel to Barbados, led by Leader Jeffries, we heard similar concerns from our Caribbean allies.

The Senate must pass the ONDCP Reauthorization Act, which includes my Caribbean Border Counternarcotics Strategy Act, to combat the illegal trafficking of deadly drugs which traverse through American territories in the Caribbean.

In the Virgin Islands, 93 percent of guns recovered by law enforcement were trafficked illegally into the territory, and the homicide rate is nine times higher than the continental United States.

We need our Federal partners, especially ATF, to provide resources and maintain a presence in the territory.

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