By Daniel Smith, Special to LE FLORIDIEN
In Florida, Haitian immigrants significantly occupy the largest percentage of foreign-born groups. The story began in the 1960s when elite Haitians fled the Caribbean country under the dictatorship of the then president François Duvalier (alias Papa Doc). Although the aforementioned migrants mostly settled in cities — especially New York, but in 1963 some Haitians (the first group of them) found their way to Miami in a boat. Later in the 1970s, when the tyranny of Baby Doc (Papa Doc’s son) became unbearable, more working class Haitians were left with no other choice than to endeavor a voyage to Miami — leading to a continual migration of people from Haiti. By the end of the year 1981, about 70,000 Haitians had escaped from their homelands and migrated to South Florida and the formation of a Haitian community in the diaspora began.
At the time, Haitian migrants were faced with many challenges and suffered from negative stereotyping. This same stigmatization became one of the founding issues — as Haitian migrants were construed as nonpolitical refugees, leading to the almost inhumane treatment that they suffered. For Haitian migrants, their identity as Black–immigrants, and language differences drew a distance between them and their host community– leading to the need to hide their identities. According to an article published on Mofad City, Haitian immigrants who were students often faced discriminations by their classmates — an event that brewed low self-esteem in the former. A research paper, authored by Louis Herns Marcelin, titled “Identity, Power, and Socioracial Hierarchies Among Haitian Immigrants in Florida” approached and overviewed the Haitian community as a racialized group and how they continue to face tension because they only accounted for a minor percentage of the community.
Going by the memory lane in 2010, the coupling of an endemic strain on Haiti’s economy and the earthquake that struck and left the country dilapidated — led scores of Haitians to migrate into America. A publication titled “Haitian Immigrants in the United States” specified that the population of Haitian immigrants in the US had tripled in size by the end of the year 2018 — when the group had had a large percentage of it obtaining green cards and becoming the fourth in the ranks of the largest foreign-born groups from the Caribbean. Having formed a recognized community base overtime, Haitians need not hide their identities anymore. But the Haitian community in the diaspora still face persisting challenges.
Haitian Immigrant Advocates in South Florida
Over the years, many advocacy groups have called on the Trump administration to halt plans to deport Haitian immigrants. Recall that in 2019, the administration announced that the Temporary Protected Status will end. This meant that many Haitian immigrants who were living in the US under the TPS were going to be sent back home. Based on many precedents, advocacy groups sprang up from different parts of the country in the defense of these immigrants whose country is yet to recover from the dregs of the 2010 earthquake. One of those at the forefront in the fight against the end of the TPS was U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson who with other representatives from South Florida championed the course for the rights of Haitian immigrants. Many individuals, groups, and law firms have since joined in not only the fight against ending the TPS but to also decry the deportation of Haitian immigrants. But well-known activist and social worker Marleine Bastien (Executive Director at Family Action Network Movement) also hinted at the fact that the nine months PTS extension would not last forever, although it offers the chance (timeframe) which could be used to process a permanent solution. This brings about the inevitable question, “what will happen if, someday, the US decides to invalidate the TPS clause?”
Why Haitian Immigrant Advocates Fought So Hard
The fight for the rights of Haitian immigrants goes way beyond human rights activism. Haitians have been in the US since the 60s and the numbers of Haitian immigrants have continued to grow tremendously since then. The earthquake in Haiti in 2010 made more people from this country flee to the US in search of a new home. Ten years after the sad event, many of them, through hard work and difficulties, managed to find life in America. They have contributed a great deal to South Florida’s economic growth, built businesses, and added to the thriving environment in the region in very many ways. One wouldn’t be surprised that when Trump’s administration announced that up to 60,000 Haitians were to be deported, Haitian hospitality workers gathered at the president’s private beach club, Mar-a-Lago to send a message; if you deport us, many of the resorts, theme parks and hotels, like yours, won’t be able to operate, they said.
A dismal Access to Healthcare System
Haitian Americans, being a minority, do not have proficient access to healthcare and are often exposed to risks (especially due to the nature of their jobs). In a recent article about the toll of the pandemic on the Haitian community in South Florida, published on the Haitian Times, exacted that the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) stated that systemic health and social inequity have been factors worsening the effects of the pandemic on ethnic minority groups. Compared to how the majority has fared so far, the minorities have carried the cross of the pandemic.
The Language Gap
The Haitian-American community continues to face the challenge of language proficiency. With a large percent of the community basically surviving on Creole, it is difficult to pass or understand information in a mixed community that leans generally towards English. It was specified –in the Haitian Times’ article engaging the toll of COVID-19 on the Haitian community in South Florida– that language barrier is one of the major factors that make the community more vulnerable to the virus.
The Undaunted Moves and the Propelling Voices!
An article published on WLRN engaged how Haitian-Americans –who were the caricatures of anti-immigrant jokes, communal rejection, and heroes of after-school fistfights– have been making waves and increasing their influence on the internet.
The Haitian community in South Florida is indeed progressing. Sandy Dorsainvil, a Haitian-American community leader, in an article published on POLITICO asserted the obvious growth in the (Haitian) immigrant community. The article also asserted how the votes of Haitian-Americans matter.
A surge in the number of Haitian-Americans running as candidates in Florida’s August 18 primary election was reported on news outlets. These candidates, about 20 of them confirmed, had already started to scratch the itch of Haitian-Americans as they have proposed amendments for criminal justice, improved living standards even as they also addressed the TPS issue. Thus, Haitians definitely have a seat at the table when it comes to impacting the politics in South Florida.
Haitian Immigrant Worries, A Battle Won or Just Began?
While there may have been a lot of backlashes at Trump’s immigration policies, the government has since gone ahead to deport many Haitian immigrants. This took a different turn during the pandemic where Haitian immigrants who tested positive for the virus were repatriated. This doesn’t quite sound like victory. The November elections may have shifted focus from a lot of prevailing issues, but it doesn’t change the fact that the immigration status of many Haitian immigrants in South Florida remains shaky. The battle is far from being over as the government of President Donald Trump remains resilient in its resolve to depopulate America of immigrants. This then begs the question, why have the advocates stopped talking?
The Loud Silence
There is a loud silence hovering around Haitian immigrants and those who have been advocating for their rights. While hundreds of Haitians were sent out of America during the pandemic, the voices were loud enough in condemnation for what was considered a misuse of the American laws. Critics of the government’s policies claimed that the deportation of immigrants, some of who were asylum seekers taken from detention centers was an attempt to reduce the numbers of Blacks immigrants and Caribbeans before the election. Following the events of the election, these advocates have now gone silent, and one would imagine why it is so. There are a lot of questions left unanswered and as the silence grows louder, so does the number of Haitians in America are getting reduced due to deportation and repatriations.
What Comes Next?
Now that the Haitian immigrant advocates have gone silent, immigrants at the risk of deportation seem to have been left to fight for themselves. Except if works are going on behind the scenes to secure the rights of these people to live in America as legal immigrants, there may be a serious need to renew commitment to this cause. Although a Biden-Haris presidency may have many promises to Haitians in America, but the need to step up to the reality of the present times should take precedence over hopes for more favorable policies.
Conclusion
The number of Haitians in South Florida continues to increase through the ages, but life in America hasn’t been so easy and friendly to this group of people. This calls for advocacy for the rights of Haitian immigrants amidst harsh policies that threaten to send them back to a country that can’t accommodate them. Now more than ever, Haitian immigrants need all the voices they can gather to speak out against the policies of the government, but unfortunately, there seem to be more pressing issues on the minds of everyone, hence the silence. For how long? You may want to ask, but the truth is that one can only wait to see the turn of events.