The situation in Haiti: Will it affect U.S. immigration?
You are probably reading and hearing about the unrest in Haiti over the past couple of weeks. We've wondered how this will impact migration flows and the pending immigration of Haitians who have been waiting to seek asylum in the U.S. for many months already. It looks as if we aren't the only ones wondering. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has decided to act preemptively to shield Floridians from what he sees as a threat: Haitian refugees. We are disappointed that once again, our leaders are choosing to criminalize immigrants rather than respond with humanitarian compassion.
On the ground in Reynosa, across the border from McAllen, Texas, Fellowship Southwest has a new ministry partner, Edrei Rodriguez. Edrei began his ministry in Reynosa in response to the thousands of Haitian refugees who have been there since 2021. He learned their language, Creole, in order to communicate with them. He started a church just for them, since cultural and language differences made worship more difficult in the Mexican churches.
When we asked Edrei what the Haitian migrant community is going through right now, he told us this: "There is so much fear. The migrants are very worried and upset because their family members are getting kidnapped and killed. They are unable to communicate with them. We are holding prayer services regularly to pray for the safety of their families in Haiti." Edrei does not believe that the southern U.S. border will see an increase in Haitian migrants because of this. Typically, Haitian migrants end up in northern Mexico after a planned route consisting of a flight to a South American country and then a long and slow journey north, often on foot. Because of the current chaos in Haiti, they are not able to make careful plans for migration.
Read a report from Edrei about his ministry to Haitians.
We do not yet know how the crisis in Haiti will impact migration flows, but it certainly will. For now, we will continue providing support to the ministries to Haitians in Reynosa and elsewhere along our border. They have not only endured enormous amounts of trauma from migration, but now they have to watch as their homeland is taken over by gangs and violence. Please join us in prayer for Haiti, for the migrants we support in Mexico, and for their family members who are at risk.
