Haitians and Haitian refugees

SIGNIFICANCE: Haitians have immigrated to the United States, particularly New York and Florida, in significant numbers since the 1950s. In general, US policy toward Haitians has been unreceptive since the 1970s, treating them as economic migrants rather than refugees.

During the 1980s and early 1990s, many Haitians seeking asylum in the United States were intercepted at sea and forced to return to Haiti. This treatment contrasted with that of Cuban asylum seekers, who generally received a generous welcome to US shores as legitimate refugees. The US government’s historically differential treatment of Cubans fleeing the Marxist-dominated Fidel Castro government and of Haitians fleeing a very poor country governed by right-wing repressive leaders has caused many to question US refugee policy. In addition, Haitians are often Black, Latino, or Indigenous and speak Creole, leading some to suggest latent racist motivations for the US government’s actions. Issues surrounding Haitian refugees continued into the twenty-first century, especially following the devastating earthquake that hit Haiti in 2010.

The Haitian Immigration Experience

Haitians, like citizens of most Caribbean countries, have for many decades participated in labor-based migration throughout the Caribbean region, including to the United States. Haiti’s economy is among the poorest in the Western Hemisphere, providing a significant motive for migration. However, authoritarian regimes have also contributed to migration, as some people fled political repression. In the 1950s and 1960s, skilled Haitian professionals legally entered the United States and Canada as permanent or temporary immigrants. Although many left Haiti in part because of political repression, they were treated as routine immigrants rather than refugees. Legal immigration continued throughout the 1970s and 1980s, but larger numbers of much poorer people also began to leave Haiti by boat.

For many years, Haiti was governed by the authoritarian regimes of François “Papa Doc” Duvalier and his son, Jean Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier, who finally fled the country in 1986. A series of repressive regimes continued to rule the country until Haiti’s first democratically elected government, that of Jean-Bertrand Aristide, was established in 1990, but this government was overthrown by a military coup in 1991 and was reinstalled by the international community in 1994, after three years of devastating economic sanctions imposed by the United Nations that, coupled with domestic political repression, precipitated large flows of refugees. The refugee flows subsided once the military regime gave up power, the UN peacekeeping forces were deployed, the Aristide government was reestablished, and the economic sanctions were removed. However, a massive earthquake in 2010 again devastated the country and led thousands to flee to the United States. Problems persisted after President Jovenel Moïse, who was accused of increasingly authoritarian rule, took office in 2017, leading to increases in gang violence, kidnappings, and other human rights concerns. The uncontrolled spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Haiti further complicated conditions and caused people to seek asylum in the US. In July 2021, Moïse was assassinated, bringing even more unrest to the country.

Many thousands of Haitians have immigrated to the United States since the early 1970s. Many thousands more were deported because they were judged to be lacking legitimate asylum claims. Those who managed to stay in the United States concentrated around already existing Haitian communities in Florida, especially in the Miami area, and in New York City, where several hundred thousand Haitians make their home. Lacking significant public assistance, the Haitians who settled in the United States during the 1970s and 1980s were obliged to rely on aid from charitable organizations and the already established local Haitian communities.

Reactions to Immigrants

Reactions to the Haitian migration varied considerably. Generally, the earlier and more skilled migration out of Haiti was uncontroversial. As larger numbers of poorer Haitians, especially the “boat people,” sought entry into the United States, however, concern about the economic implications of these undocumented migrants arose. Local politicians, especially in southern Florida, under pressure from their constituents, including elite members of the Cuban exile group, along with others concerned about the potentially disruptive Haitian flow, put pressure on Congress and successive presidents to deter the Haitian migration.

However, steps by the federal government to stanch the Haitian migratory flows eventually prompted political opposition by second-generation Cubans, voluntary agencies, human rights groups, and the Congressional Black Caucus. Many of these groups charged that the discriminatory treatment of Haitians was based at least in part on race. Efforts to detain Haitians in the United States were successfully challenged in court, and advocates for Haitians won a number of court-related victories to ensure fairer treatment for Haitian asylum seekers. The interdiction programs instituted by President Ronald Reagan, however, continued under the presidencies of George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton. Only with the return of democracy to Haiti in 1994 did the migration pressures from Haiti to the United States ease.

Future Prospects

For a time, the return of stability to the Haitian political system and the application of considerable international economic assistance held out hope that Haiti would benefit from economic development, thus encouraging investment at home and further reducing pressures for migration abroad. The booming economy in the United States during the 1990s and the reduction in illegal and undocumented migration from Haiti helped to reduce the controversy surrounding Haitian migration. However, the devastating 2010 earthquake upended prospects for the country, as well over 100,000 were killed in the disaster and massive damage afflicted cities near the epicenter, notably the capital, Port-au-Prince. In the aftermath of the disaster, more than 50,000 Haitians fled to the United States and were granted Temporary Protected Status (TPS). In 2018, as the administration of President Donald Trump sought to tighten US immigration controls, this status was revoked, with affected Haitians returned to Haiti starting in 2019. However, multiple lawsuits were filed challenging the termination of TPS, and Haitians remained under the designation. In May 2021, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) extended Haiti's TPS designation due to the increasing human rights, economic, and political concerns that wracked the country. The designation enabled Haitian nationals already living in the US to remain there, but it did not allow for new arrivals from Haiti to the US, As Haitian refugees continued to attempt to flee their country, human rights groups reported abuses by border control agents who were accused of using violent and excessive force to control the migrants. Under the administration of President Joe Biden, the US instituted new expulsion flights to Haiti in September 2021 for those caught at the border. Human rights groups sought to halt deportations to Haiti, as the situation continued to grow worse there following Moïse's assassination and another large earthquake and accused the Biden administration of violating US and international law. 

2024 Crisis

In March 2024, Haiti erupted into chaotic violence as armed gangs became the de facto rulers of the country. For US officials, the primary concern was a new wave of Haitian immigrants fleeing US shores and borders. In addition to the previous migratory efforts on boats, many Haitians made overland trips across Central America and Mexico to reach the United States.

Haitian migratory efforts by boats were hazardous and often resulted in tragedy. Thousands perished by drowning in such attempts. In July 2024, a boat carrying a group to the Caicos Islands caught fire off the coastal town of Cap-Haitien resulting in the death of 40 migrants aboard the ship. The Haitian Coast Guard rescued an additional 41 others. The migrants were fleeing the gang-related violence.  

Another phenomenon was the migration of Haitians to the United States after having first moved to South American countries such as Chile. In many cases, Haitians had lived for years in Chile before deciding on the arduous trip north. After the arrival of an estimated 182,000 migrants into Chile, many Haitians believed the government had soured on their presence. Access to jobs and housing became a challenge. In addition to Haitians, many Venezuelans arrived in Chile following the economic collapse of that country. This large and rapid influx of both migrant communities placed strain on social resources, and reportedly, eroded the goodwill of segments of Chilean society. 

On September 10 2024, during a televised debate with Democratic candidate Kamala Harris, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump stated that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio were terrorizing native communities. Trump declared this Haitian community were stealing pet dogs and cats and eating them. These comments had earlier been publicly made by Trump's vice-presidential candidate JD Vance. Local officials quickly rebutted these claims, however many acts of violence were reported to have been threatened against the Haitian populace of Springfield.

Bibliography

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Bonnefoy, Pascale. "Why Haitians in Chile Keep Heading North to the U.S." New York Times, 27 Sept. 2021, www.nytimes.com/2021/09/27/world/americas/chile-haitian-migrants.html. Accessed 16 Oct. 2024. 

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"Secretary Mayorkas Designates Haiti for Temporary Protected Status for 18 Months." US Department of Homeland Security, 22 May 2021, www.dhs.gov/news/2021/05/22/secretary-mayorkas-designates-haiti-temporary-protected-status-18-months. Accessed 7 Oct. 2021.

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Sweigert, Josh, et al. "The True Story about Why and How Haitian Immigrants Came to Springfield." Springfield News-Sun, 20 Sept. 2024, www.springfieldnewssun.com/news/the-true-story-about-why-and-how-haitian-immigrants-came-to-springfield/VOJOZYVU6REMZOFXZOEQQ5RNNU/. Accessed 16 Oct. 2024.

"US: Treatment of Haitian Migrants Discriminatory." Human Rights Watch, 21 Sept. 2021, www.hrw.org/news/2021/09/21/us-treatment-haitian-migrants-discriminatory. Accessed 7 Oct. 2021.