Haitian migrants trying to enter the U.S. has brought about controversy

My heart goes out to all Haitian citizens right now. I can’t imagine the fear, distress and anger they are experiencing while they search and plead for freedom, as their country is in complete despair. 

Last week, 2,000 Haitians were deported from southern Texas back to their homeland. According to The Guardian, those who have been deported have been living in Chili and Brazil since a 2010 earthquake shook their world near the capital, Port-au-Prince. The 2010 earthquake had killed over 200,000 people and Haiti is yet to recover – 11 years later.  

Desperate Haitian migrants set up a camp of about 12,000 and were taking a chance of living in the U.S. The camp of Haitian migrants was set up under the Del Rio – Ciudad Acuna International bridge near the Texas border. 

What caught my eye were images of border patrol officers on horseback attempting to catch all those who were crossing into the U.S. The world was scarred from seeing these officers charging at Haitian migrants who must have been scared out of their mind. 

The White House was not impressed with these images that were flying across the media. Vice President Kamala Harris called the treatment of Haitian migrants “horrible” and said, “Human beings should never be treated that way. I’m deeply troubled about it.”

While President Biden’s White House Press Secretary, Jen Psaki said, “He believes that the footage and photos are horrific. They don’t represent who we are as a country. And he was pleased to see the announcement of the investigation.”

With all the chaos of the Texas border crisis, the whole world is watching. No one deserves to be hurt when trying to come to America.  

My heart goes out to all Haitian citizens right now. I can’t imagine the fear, distress and  anger they are going through as they are trying to work their way through freedom, while their  country is completely distraught.  

While these Haitian migrants are hoping to come to America, the U.S. should not be deporting them back to Port-au-Prince. Many of these migrants haven’t lived in Haiti since 2010, as they have been coming in from different countries and do not have homes in Haiti. 

Right now Port-au-Prince, and Haiti in general, are hurting. Day-to-day life in Haiti includes bloody protests for food and fuel shortages. The Haitian president was assassinated in July, and it doesn’t stop there – Haiti has been hit with quite a few earthquakes as well.  

Nightlife in Haiti includes gunfire and warring gangs throughout the capital. Violence is huge in Haiti right now and my heart hurts for all the good citizens of Haiti and all Haitian children; many of their homes don’t even have running water.  

In 2020, before the Covid-19 pandemic, I was supposed to go on a mission trip to Haiti. We were planning on visiting the elderly, to hang out and spread love to all of the young children as well as bringing water to the villages of those that don’t have the opportunity to have clean, fresh water.

I have friends who have gone on mission trips in the past and seeing the pictures of Haitian children and volunteers working together is awfully inspiring.

With 12,000 Haitian migrants attempting to enter the U.S., the images of border police officers on horses and many people watching is a disturbing issue. Haitian migrants should not be sent back to Haiti to struggle but rather they should be given the opportunity to work and be safe. Whether it is in America or where they have been the past 10 years. 

I hope in the long run, Haitians can get their American citizenship and become citizens of our country. I hope the White House administration can work out the Texas border issue without hurting anyone. And while this is happening, I hope the news puts some positive images out there, there are so many young ones watching the news and seeing what is happening.  

To conclude, I hope these Haitian migrants are okay and can find a safe place to stay in the meantime. I hope their country gets a little peace soon and that the U.S. can work with other countries to find a safe place or a good strategy for these Haitian migrants trying to come to America for work.