THE WORLD : 400,000 Haitians in the US are urged to “Leave the country immediately”
Cornelius Hamelberg
X years after The Haitian Revolution (1791-1804)
2026 : # The current plight of Haitians in the United States
This news item is from today's Dagens Nyheter.
https://www.dn.se/varlden/lamna-landet-omedelbart-sa-star-det-i-brevet-till-400-000-haitier-i-usa/
400,000 Haitians in the US are urged to “Leave the country immediately”
Updated yesterday 21:00 Published yesterday 18:29
The 58-year-old Haitian has lived in Newark for 19 years, he has worked and paid taxes. Now he is being asked to leave the US immediately. Photo: Pontus Höök
NEW YORK. “Do not attempt to remain in the country – federal authorities will find you.” That was the message in a letter sent to hundreds of thousands of Haitians in the United States.
58-year-old Jean has lived in New Jersey for 19 years. Now he barely dares to go out.
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In competition with Somalis, Haitians are perhaps the group that has endured the most hatred and mockery during the Trump era.
During the 2024 election campaign, it was falsely claimed that they were eating people's pets in Springfield, Ohio . The lie was spread by, among others, future Vice President JD Vance.
Donald Trump has singled out Haiti as a “shithole country,” along with a group of other countries where the majority is non-white. He once said that “all Haitians have AIDS.” And recently, the Department of Homeland Security decided to revoke the TPS special status that many Haitians have had, effective immediately.
A couple of months ago, hundreds of thousands of Haitians received a letter that began: "It's time for you to leave the United States." Anyone who does not do so will be sought out, punished and deported, it is stated.
Haitians are perhaps the group that has endured the most hatred and mockery under the Trump era. The president says that “all Haitians have their own age.” Photo: Pontus Höök
Many of those at risk live in this region – more than 100,000 in New York and around 70,000 in New Jersey. And here, in the city of Newark, we meet Jean. He is a 58-year-old who has lived here since 2007, and his real name is something else.
Jean worked at a hardware store for many years until he suffered a work injury two years ago.
“My foot was crushed, so now I have to walk with a cane,” he says.
Jean's partner and two sons are all American citizens. He has had a work permit, worked and paid taxes for many years. But that doesn't help - he will be deported anyway.
“ICE is everywhere, every Haitian in Newark is talking about it. No one feels safe,” says Jean.
He says that he mostly stays at home now. But sometimes he has to go out, for example for medical treatment for his injury.
– Of course you're worried. I'm looking over my shoulder all the time.
Jean is staying home most of the time now, due to the risk of being arrested by the immigration police ICE. Photo: Pontus Höök
Back home, Jean worked as a middle school teacher in French, math, and social studies in the town of Croix-des-Bouquets. He says his old school still exists, but a large portion of the students have left.
– Everyone is afraid of the gang violence in Haiti. They have completely taken over and many families don't dare send their children to school for fear of them being kidnapped.
It's not just Jean who warns that the situation in Haiti is life-threatening. The US State Department makes the same assessment.
“Do not travel to Haiti for any reason,” states the department’s official advice to Americans. The reasons given are “kidnapping, crime, terrorism, unrest, and lack of healthcare.”
This was precisely the reason why the special TPS status for Haitians was extended during Joe Biden's time as president – a status that was first granted after the devastating earthquake in 2010. But now the Trump administration believes that it is okay for Haitians to return.
“When Trump refers to Haiti as a shithole country, it's not actually the country he's referring to, but the people,” says Danika Leon, a 30-year-old social work student at Rutgers University in Newark.
Danika Leon, 30, is an American citizen, born and raised in New Jersey but with Haitian parents. She sees the Trump administration's targeting of Haitians as pure racism. Photo: Pontus Höök
She and many others see Trump's statements as pure racism, since all of the countries he points out have a population that is black or Latin American, while white South Africans are welcomed into the United States as oppressed refugees.
Haitians are often portrayed as passive recipients of benefits by conservative politicians in the United States. But in reality, the overwhelming majority of them are employed. The more than 400,000 Haitians living with TPS status alone contribute $5.8 billion a year to the U.S. economy and pay $1.5 billion in taxes a year.
Danika Leon is an American citizen, as are her parents who came here from Haiti before she was born. She says she hasn't been able to visit her parents' homeland since she was twelve, 18 years ago.
“It's far too dangerous,” she says.
Facts. Temporary residence permit revoked
TPS , or temporary protected status, means that people from a certain country are granted temporary permission to reside and work in the U.S. The status has been granted to residents of many countries, from Kosovo to Afghanistan, Ukraine, and Sudan.
It may, for example, apply to countries that are at war or that have been affected by natural disasters.
TPS status is reviewed periodically and is often terminated when conditions in the country in question are deemed to have improved and it is safe to return there.
In recent months, the Trump administration has revoked TPS status for four countries: in addition to Haiti, Somalia, Venezuela, and Yemen. The decisions have been appealed to the courts in several cases.
Dr. Oohay
Gloria Emeagwali
Ironically, sorrowfully, and understandably, Haiti shares the very SAME (national) motto with its past (and present!?) master: "Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité.”Oohay
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