Many Haitian immigrants are already beginning to flee the city of Springfield, Ohio, following Donald Trump’s victory.
Margery Koveleski, an activist of Haitian origin, dedicates her time to accompanying members of the local Haitian community in their administrative procedures. Lately, however, her mission has evolved. She now helps community members plan their departure from Springfield, she explained in an interview with The Guardian.
“Many members of our community don’t have bank cards or internet access, and are looking to buy tickets to leave. So we help them organize their travel,” she recently told The Guardian. “The community is gradually moving away,” she added.
The anxiety generated by Donald Trump’s re-election on November 5 appears to be the main cause of this exodus. According to Ms. Koveleski and other community leaders, many Haitians fear being targeted and deported following Trump’s pledge to abolish the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program, a mechanism allowing thousands of Haitians to reside and work legally on US soil. The president-elect has also promised to cancel other programs, including the parole program commonly known as the Biden program. These threats have rekindled anxiety in Springfield’s Haitian community.
A sheriff in the nearby town of Sidney reportedly issued worrying directives in September, directing local law enforcement to “apprehend these individuals and proceed with their arrest”.
Jacob Payen, entrepreneur and co-founder of the Haitian Community Alliance, explains, “The community fully understands what’s at stake in this election, and that’s what’s motivating their departure; they fear a massive wave of deportations.”
He continues: “Several of my clients have already left the region. One entire family has settled in New Jersey; others have opted for Boston. I’m aware of three families who have crossed the Canadian border.”
Some members of the community are even considering a return to Brazil, where they had previously been granted asylum, seeing this option as a safer alternative in the face of the current uncertainty.
A significant loss for Springfield
For Springfield, a city that has relied heavily on the economic contribution of the Haitian community, this exodus represents a significant setback. These dedicated workers breathed new life into the local economy by taking on factory jobs, often neglected by other residents. Many Haitians had taken advantage of affordable prices to buy homes in Springfield, which was considered a dead town before the arrival of Haitian immigrants.
“The departure of this community would mean a significant reduction in the financial resources that currently fuel our local economy,” Jacob Payen stresses with concern.
Despite a sometimes hostile climate, marked in particular by demonstrations by extremist groups, Springfield’s Haitian community remains an essential pillar of the local economic vitality. According to information reported by The Guardian, a Haitian community association recently acquired a former fire station, with the ambition of transforming it into a dynamic educational and social center.
A situation fraught with challenges
The threat to cancel the migration programs set up by the Joe Biden administration comes at a particularly critical time for Haiti. The country is going through a period of intense turbulence, marked by endemic violence orchestrated by armed gangs. Recent events, such as the shooting down of a commercial airliner in Port-au-Prince, illustrate the growing scale of insecurity.
Although Trump could theoretically repeal TPS as soon as he is inaugurated on January 20, legal experts point to practical obstacles to swift implementation. Katie Kersh, senior counsel at Advocates for Basic Legal Equality, says: “Such a mass deportation initiative would put unsustainable pressure on an already overburdened immigration court system,” reports *The Guardian*.
Meanwhile, Ahilan Arulanantham, a law professor at UCLA, warns of potential perverse effects: “Ending TPS would result in the immediate loss of work permits for beneficiaries, unless they have another legal status that allows them to work.”
This article is written by Emmanuel Paul following a story published by The Guardian newspaper, which you can view by clicking on the link below.
Quotations may differ slightly from the original article due to translation.
Source:The Guadian