Caribbean Matters is a weekly series from Daily Kos. Hope you’ll join us here every Saturday. If you are unfamiliar with the region, check out Caribbean Matters: Getting to know the countries of the Caribbean.
As conditions in Haiti worsen, the Haitian people cannot look for much if any useful help from the United States after electing Haitian hate spewer Donald Trump to the presidency.
Guns in the hands of gangs, many smuggled in from the U.S., have made a volatile situation worse. Our country has a piss poor track record with Haiti, dating back to the time of the American revolution. Our “interventions” have added to, not ameliorated, the situation there, creating more political chaos. Making matters even worse, their unfriendly Dominican neighbor, sharing the same island, continues to deport Haitians.
Here at home, Haitian Americans continue to be scapegoated, portrayed by liars like Vice President-elect JD Vance as pet eaters and criminals. We cannot absolve either political party from culpability in the failures of our Haitian immigration policies and the treatment of our Haitian American citizenry. And now that Trump is reportedly promoting Marco Rubio to secretary of state, questions are already being raised about what he will do that will help, not harm Haitians.
Frances Robles, who covers Latin America for The New York Times, wrote about the many problems Haiti is currently facing as gang gain territory and many flee:
Haiti, a nation rocked by gang cruelty and plagued with political infighting, has — so far this year — had three prime ministers, seen at least 4,000 people killed and experienced brutality from armed groups so intense that it forced an extended closure of its international airport, twice.
But despite $600 million spent by Washington on an international police force to restore order, an explosion of violence last week underscored the enormity of a crisis so severe that the Federal Aviation Administration has barred U.S. aircraft from flying under 10,000 feet in Haitian airspace to avoid being shot at by gangs.
With another interim prime minister in place, but gangs gaining territory every day, Haitians are desperate for relief. Efforts to stabilize Haiti are floundering, and the country presents a dangerous and disastrous challenge as President-elect Donald J. Trump prepares to take office.
The issue of guns, their role in the ever escalating violence, and where they come from has once again been raised. Jacqueline Charles and Jay Weaver wrote for The Miami Herald:
A new report from the U.S. government’s lead investigator on gun trafficking in the Caribbean area is confirming what region leaders have long said: Most of the firearms wreaking havoc in their vulnerable nations and being used in 90% of the homicides are coming from the United States. However, the report from the Government Accountability Office, which was requested by three high-ranking House and Senate Democrats, also shows the lack of political will on the parts of some Caribbean governments and shortcomings in the U.S. to tackle the problem.
[...]
Though the acute crisis in Haiti, where heavily armed gangs have the capital under siege, needs greater attention, Democratic U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro of Texas said the report shows “how criminal organizations across the Caribbean source their weapons from the United States in a deadly trade that has contributed to the collapse of Haitian society and devastating loss of life across the region.
[...]
Joining Castro in the push for the report were New York Rep. Gregory Meeks and Illinois Sen. Majority Whip Dick Durbin. All said they had received pleas from Caribbean leaders to help stop gun trafficking from the U.S. “These weapons destabilize communities and compound the challenges faced by our Caribbean neighbors, enabling gangs and transnational criminal networks to perpetrate crime that undermines U.S. national security and regional stability,” Meeks said. “We must invest in efforts to stem the flow of illicit weapons from our shores to the Caribbean. Doing so will protect communities in the United States, Caribbean and wider Western Hemisphere.”
Last month, Soledad Gallego-Díaz wrote for EL PAÍS about the damage being done by U.S. arms traffickers and their rifles:
There is no allegation or evidence that Haitian immigrants in Ohio have eaten any of their white neighbors’ pets, a hoax spread by presidential candidate Donald Trump and supported by the entire network of media outlets pushing the former president’s campaign. Where there may be no pets left is in Haiti itself. According to the latest report from the World Food Program, 5.4 million people are struggling to feed themselves and their families every day, representing one of the highest proportions of people facing acute food insecurity in any global crisis. Of these, two million face extreme food shortages, malnutrition and disease.
Haiti is in chaos, subjected to violence by armed gangs that have caused 4,789 homicides and 2,490 kidnappings so far this year. Since there are no weapons or ammunition factories on the island, all the weapons available to these gangs come from the United States, and specifically from Florida. Although international organizations have asked the United States to prevent this trafficking, nothing seems to be done about it, at least not effectively enough. [...]
U.S. relations with Haiti have always been unhappy. In 2010, former U.S. President Bill Clinton did something unusual: he apologized for having forced Haiti to reduce tariffs on imported American rice, which was subsidized by Washington and destroyed domestic production. “It may have been good for some of my rice farmers in Arkansas, but it didn’t work. It was a mistake.” It was. Haiti lost the ability to produce one of the most important crops for feeding its population. ... That same Clinton had helped restore Jean-Bertrand Aristide, the politician and priest ousted from power by a military coup, to the democratic office of the Haitian presidency. Clinton knew the country well. He spent part of his honeymoon there, when he married Hillary Rodham in 1975 (at the time, the son of dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier was in power). But nothing prevented him from destroying its agricultural capacity in one fell swoop.
Shifting back to Haitians in the U.S, according to the Migration Policy Institute:
The U.S. government resumed the Haitian Family Reunification Parole Program in 2022, allowing eligible Haitians with a U.S.-citizen or legal permanent resident family member to move to the United States while their green-card application is pending. In January 2023, the Biden administration extended an immigration parole program initially reserved for Venezuelans to Haitians (as well as Cubans and Nicaraguans) who have a U.S. sponsor, apply in advance, and travel by plane. The program allows parolees to reside and work in the United States for two years. Through September 2023, the 85,300 Haitian parole recipients represented the largest group of beneficiaries of this process. Also, Temporary Protected Status (TPS), which grants temporary work authorization and relief from deportation, has been redesignated and extended for Haitians, covering more than 116,500 Haitian-born individuals as of March 2023.
The nearly 731,000 Haitian immigrants residing in the United States in 2022, the most recent year for which data are available from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS), made up 2 percent of all 46.2 million U.S. immigrants and 16 percent of the 4.6 million Caribbean immigrants. Compared to all immigrants, Haitians are more likely to be naturalized U.S. citizens, have obtained legal permanent residence (also known as getting a green card) through family-based categories, and work in service occupations. They are also less likely to have a college degree and tend to report lower household incomes.
How these policies may change under Trump is not clear, but it is apparent he did a lot of damage during his presidential campaign. Stephen Starr wrote for The Guardian about Haitian immigrants fleeing Springfield, Ohio, after the election results:
From a tiny office behind a Haitian grocery store on Springfield’s South Limestone Street, Margery Koveleski has spent years helping local Haitians overcome bureaucratic red tape to make their lives in the Ohio city a little bit easier. But Koveleski – whose family is Haitian – has noticed a major change recently. Haitians are now coming to her to figure out how to leave.
[...]
Koveleski, leaders in Springfield’s Haitian community, and others have relayed reports of Haitians fleeing the city of 60,000 people in recent days for fear of being rounded up and deported after Donald Trump’s victory in the 5 November presidential election.
“The owner of one store is wondering if he should move back to New York or to Chicago – he says his business is way down,” Koveleski remarked. Trump has repeatedly said he would end immigrants’ temporary protected status (TPS) – the provision through which many Haitians are legally allowed to live and work in the US – and deport Haitians from Springfield once in office.
I’ll conclude with this report from documentary filmmaker and video journalist Obed Lamy, writing for NACLA as a Haitian journalist reporting from Springfield:
Culturally, Haitians are known for their outdoor gatherings. Whether it’s sharing meals, attending parties, or simply walking down the street with grocery bags, their presence in public spaces has become a part of the local atmosphere in Springfield. That visibility has all but disappeared. "It's a little bit similar to the situation of Haitians in the Dominican Republic. We live in fear,” said Ronald Toussaint, a Haitian man who has been in Springfield for three months after spending a year and a half in Indiana. “We're afraid to go out late. To do certain activities, thinking someone might hurt you."
Limestone Street, one of the city’s primary thoroughfares, lined with businesses and restaurants and home to a large number of Haitian residents, now feels deserted. Community leaders have urged Haitians to avoid large gatherings and limit their time outdoors. During closed-door meetings on October 1, state officials advised the community to develop their own safety strategies.
The largest Haitian church in Springfield, the Première Église Évangélique Haïtienne de Springfield (PEESAH), saw a significant number of empty seats on Sunday, October 6. Approximately 450 congregants typically attend the service. While there was some rain that morning, pastor Reginald Silencieux, the church's founder, would not blame lousy weather. “I strongly doubt that the events happening today aren't the reason people aren't coming to church,” he told me in an interview after the service.
How can you help? The Haitian Times lists organizations providing legal and social support for Haitian immigrants. Check out the list, and spread the word.
