"The United States Armed Forces personnel are anticipated to remain in Haiti for as long as the security environment requires," President Joe Biden said on Thursday.
Biden added that he had directed the action in line with his responsibilities to protect United States diplomatic missions abroad and to advance the country's national security and foreign policy interests.
On Wednesday, the US deployed a special team of Marines to boost security at the US embassy in Haiti amid the ongoing crisis. The embassy remains open, and diplomats continue limited operations focused on assisting US citizens and supporting Haitian-led efforts to secure a peaceful transition of power.
On Tuesday, Guyanese President Irfaan Ali said Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry would step down amid an outbreak of gang violence and that power in Haiti would be temporarily held by a transitional council.
On February 29, gang violence erupted in the downtown area of the capital Port-au-Prince while Henry was visiting Kenya. Henry visited to seek an agreement to deploy foreign forces in Haiti to fight organized crime.
The gangs said their goal was to prevent Henry from returning to Haiti, and they stormed Haiti's largest prison and freed an unconfirmed number of inmates. The Haitian government declared a state of emergency in the capital region.