Many have been rejoicing about a Donald Trump presidency, but Haitian migrants are worried and cowering in fear, holed up in their respective homes. It has gotten so bad that these people have turned to the only thing they think has more power than Trump right now– religion.
Quite a number of these same Haitian migrants that have been scurrying around town trying to make themselves as unseen as possible lest they be carted off and deported by Trump’s soldiers, turned up en masse this past Sunday at the First Haitian Evangelical Church of Springfield, Ohio.
After the service ended, they formed a circle around the pastor as he knelt in prayer, flanked by the flags of Haiti and the United States. A majority were there for guidance. They wanted to know what to do when the feds came knocking as part of the President’s crackdown on immigration. Other migrants stayed home out of fear, and who could blame them?
“I asked God to protect my people,” the Rev. Reginald Silencieux said after the service, reflecting on his final prayer. “I prayed especially for the Haitian community, and I prayed for U.S.A., too, because Trump is our president. As a church, we have an obligation to pray for him because he’s our political leader right now.”
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Haitians Turn To Religion and Spiritualism Ahead of Trump’s Term
Some of Springfield’s estimated 15,000 Haitians have reportedly turned to the divine for solace in their churches or at shops that sell spiritual products. According to community leaders, many are overwhelmed by fears that Trump will end or let the Temporary Protected Status program expire, allowing them to remain in the U.S. legally.
“The community is panicking,” said Viles Dorsainvil, the leader of Springfield’s Haitian Community Help and Support Center. “They see the arrests on TV in other parts of the country, and they don’t know what’s going to happen.”
“The majority of immigrants in the U.S.A. are not criminals, and they’re hard-working people,” he added. “Any administration with common sense would rather work with those kinds of immigrants than deport them.”
Why Are the Haitian Migrants So Scared?
Last year, Trump accused Haitians in Springfield of eating their neighbor’s cats and dogs. The statement was false, but it started rumors and worsened fears about division and anti-immigrant sentiment in the city.
In the weeks after his statement, schools, government buildings, and the homes of elected officials became targets of bomb threats. “Before, we had a different type of fear,” said Jacob Payen, a Haitian community leader and owner of Milokan Botanica, a religious shop that sells Haitian spiritual and natural healing products.
“Now, there’s a fear of deportation. That keeps a lot of people from going out and has caused a lot of people to have left.” As he made the comment, he pointed to the usually busy commercial plaza where his business is located, which had been more quiet than usual.
What Is the Cause of the Haiti Crisis?
Haiti has been facing a multidimensional crisis for years. Most of it is caused by political unrest and economic instability. However, factors like the COVID-19 pandemic and environmental disasters have severely impacted Haiti, exacerbating economic challenges and straining an already fragile healthcare system.
The streets are now ruled by gang violence, poverty, and crime, which is why many Haitian migrants are appealing to Trump not to kick them out.
Who Transported Haitian Migrants to Springfield, Ohio?
No one person can be tagged responsible for transporting Haitian migrants to Springfield, Ohio, especially since the migration has been happening over the years. If anything is to be blamed, that would be the Temporary Protected Status program.
Thanks to the program, the City of Springfield has seen an increased influx of migrants whose status was not opposed by the Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine.
Under the program, about 15,000 Haitians have arrived in the city of about 59,000 people since 2020, and the then government welcomed them with open arms and even urged the federal government to do more to help impacted communities.
How Many Haitian Migrants Have Settled in Springfield, Ohio?
According to reports, Springfield has become a home to thousands of migrants. While there’s no official tally, Mayor Rob Rue told CNN the city’s population has grown about 25% over the past three years, thanks in part to the arrival of Haitian immigrants.
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Between 12,000 and 15,000 immigrants reportedly live in Clark County, which includes Springfield. Among them, an estimated 10,000-12,000 are Haitian.
The 2020 Census estimated about 60,000 people were living in Springfield. Meanwhile, 2022 data from the American Community Survey indicated that about 2% of the city’s population was born outside the US.
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