As immigration has taken center stage in the presidential election, it now feels like all eyes are on Haiti, my home country.
That nation in turmoil — like Mexico and Latin America before, and even China in the distant past – has been unfairly singled out as a poster child for all kinds of America’s ills, with immigrants serving as scapegoats.
Trump once stated that Haiti was a “shit hole country” and he opposed extending aid to the country as it was hit with violent political unrest. Now he is vowing to reverse the Biden Humanitarian Act and deport the new immigrants back to Haiti. Sen. JD Vance, the vice presidential candidate, is making the same promises to his voters, claiming that Haitians threaten jobs of Americans, even that they break union lines, weakening wages for “Americans.” Springfield, Ohio, which accepted 20,000 Haitian refugees in the last year, has come under the national spotlight since the false accusations of pet eating erupted from the Trump campaign.
The truth is, however, many from Haiti have been awarded temporary immigration status and legal permission to enter this country.
So the term “illegal” immigration that’s often tossed around by politicians is highly misleading (the term is always misleading as it can refer to many people in immigration limbo). The truth is, many Haitian immigrants — like the vast majority of all immigrants — contribute to their communities and are just trying to make ends meet for their families.
“Haitian immigrants are bringing stability to Springfield, Ohio, by contributing to the workforce in the automobile industry,” an industry that was in decline, noted Dr. Gerelde Gabeau, a native to Haiti, in a recent rally in support of Haitian immigrants.
We also can not forget that America is a country built on the blood and backbones of indigenous people, enslaved blacks and immigrants. The Immigration Act of 1891 was placed to regulate immigrants coming to America and to control ethnic populations in the country. In modern times, immigrants continue to arrive in the U.S., seeking opportunities, asylum and refuge. The U.S. has a long standing history of denying immigrants from certain countries, like Mexico and China. Racist and ethnocentric hate gets recycled with claims of those groups being criminals who don’t contribute to the country.
As with most places, Haiti has a complex history with America. During the slave revolts that started in 1811, newly liberated Haitian fighters came to the U.S. to help battle alongside African Americans for their freedom. The American government has been involved in Haitian government affairs for more than a century, even dismantling the Haitian army and contributing to the destabilization of the Haitian government. Since the Biden Humanitarian Act was put into effect in January of 2023, there have been 205,026 Haitians who have legally moved to the U.S. This act was put into place as a response to the political turmoil the Haitian people have been enduring for decades, a crisis that became dire after the assassination of Pres. Jovenelle in July of 2021.
Gangs have taken over Haiti since June of 2021 causing thousands of deaths and disruption in the country’s capital, Port-Au-Prince. Recently, the gangs expanded and reached to Artibonit, killing dozens of people.
Haiti is not the only country President Biden has extended the Humanitarian Act to. The countries benefiting the most from this act are Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans. We would be well advised to look at the stories and situations of all immigrants, and recognize their contributions to the nation.
