But Haitians Should be Placed in Wealthy Towns Like Westport, Connecticut
September 16, 2024
During the recent presidential debate, former President Trump stated that Haitians who immigrated to Springfield, Ohio were eating other people’s pets. Thus far, to my knowledge, there has been no objective evidence that this is true.
But it has created the usual political mess with wealthy white liberals screeching racism even though these same liberals would scream bloody murder if Haitians were housed in their communities.
Liberal hypocrisy is galling.
As a young doctor forty years ago, I spent a volunteer year in Haiti working with the Missionaries of Charity, the Order of Mother Teresa. I saw one hundred patients a day. I saw hideous disfiguring illnesses and constant death, especially among children and babies. AIDS was common, courtesy of gay American sex tourists seeking what tourist magazines called “Nubian delights.”
These noble people have been shafted. Haiti is the only successful slave revolt in history. But this source of pride among the Haitians is also a curse because unlike other Caribbean islands that tolerated colonialism, Haiti never developed democratic institutions that would have allowed it to thrive, such as in the Bahamas, Bermuda and Barbados.
The Republic of Haiti was formed in 1804 but was not recognized by the United States until 1863. Why? Because American politicians feared Haiti’s successful slave revolt would spread to the United States.
When I lived in Haiti, the country was a dictatorship run by the Duvalier family and their cronies. Once I spoke to a Baptist minister who had dedicated his life to Haiti. I told him that for there to be progress, the Duvalier dictatorship had to go. He responded: And replace it with what?
He was correct. When this dictatorship was overthrown, Haiti continued to have increasingly unstable governments and now is run by brutal warlords.
Thus, Haitians are willing to do anything to get out of the country. If I were Haitian, I would do the same thing.
So how did we arrive with this political mess in Springfield, Ohio?
This town is a perfect example of why Trump won in 2016. Its manufacturing jobs were shipped overseas, and unemployment, poverty and drug abuse became rampant.
The Biden administration authorized a policy that allows 30,000 immigrants to enter to the United States monthly from the dysfunctional and Communist countries of Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela.
Some are legal immigrants. They apply online in their native country, are approved by our government and must pay their own way to fly to the United States. But others are not. They entered the country illegally but can obtain temporary legal status by using a government app. Then they must leave. But for all practical purposes, they never leave.
Once here, they are steered toward poor and working-class communities. And then the problems start.
Many receive immediate assistance – food, free health care, housing vouchers etc. – while many natives in the communities are struggling. Haitians do not speak English (although many pick it up in six months) and quickly overwhelm the local school systems. Property taxes must be raised to fund this.
Haitians are also hard workers. The average Haitian family who lives in the United States for five years has more money in the bank than the average white family.
Mr. Jaime McGregor is the owner of the manufacturing factory McGregor Metals in Springfield. He employs thirty Haitians. He stated:
“I wish I had 30 more. Our Haitian associates come to work every day. They don’t have a drug problem. They’ll stay at their machine. They’ll achieve their numbers. They are here to work. And so in general, that’s a stark difference from what we’re used to in our community.”
Thus, cultural clashes are inevitable.
Trump’s demagoguery is wrong, but the white liberals castigating him are even worse. At least most of most of the people in Springfield are trying to get along with the Haitians.
What would happen if 20,000 Haitians arrived in Westport, Connecticut asking for housing, medical care, food and education? This town voted for Biden 75 to 25%. And the town is 1.04% Black. The only Haitians seen in Westport are wearing leaf blowers.
Here’s what would happen. These rich white Westport liberals would call another rich white liberal, Ned Lamont. He would immediately call the National Guard and have the Haitians forcibly removed.
If you don’t believe, look what happened when Governor DeSantis of Florida sent some illegal immigrants to Martha’s Vineyard – a town that voted for Biden by 84% to 16%. The liberal white liberal Governor of Massachusetts Maura Healey sent in the armed National Guard and had them forcibly removed.
Until Haitian immigrants are learning algebra in the Westport school system or reading Chaucer at Darien High School, white liberals have no right to pose as morally superior to poor struggling rural whites whose jobs have been sent overseas because of corporate greed. Especially since these wealthy white liberal towns manipulate zoning laws and use environment mandates to prevent affordable housing development so that they can keep Haitians and Blacks in general, out of their towns.
Follow Dr. Bentivegna on Twitter(X) @joebentivegnamd
Contact: jfbentivegna@gmail.com
Addendum: This post was updated to correct a factual. Not all Haitians in Springfield are legal immigrants as previously stated.
Leave a Reply