Does it Matter if Haitians are Eating the Dogs?
Exploring the Nuances of Immigration through the Lens of an Influx of Haitians in Springfield, OH
When I read the reports about Haitians overwhelming the town of Springfield, I dove into research mode, not just reading articles, but watching full videos of citizens voicing their concerns at town council meetings. I found myself angry on their behalf.
As someone who has been to Haiti, the reports stirred up memories of my experience. There, I was met with two extremes. Safe, protected pockets of the country, filled with thriving Haitians who were kind, welcoming, and compassionate; and another side filled with corrupt men and evil gangs inflicting great injustice to their own people, causing much of the country to fall to disrepair.
On my trip, we visited some of the poorest regions of Haiti. As we navigated the city, our driver weaved in and out of aggressive cars and herds of animals. There were no rules to the road; cars drove within centimeters of each other, animals frantically dodged traffic, and the entire mass collectively and angrily inched forward.
Our driver, a native, spoke about how the cities held the worst of humanity, “hell on earth”, he said, riddled with “crime, murder, raping, trafficking, gangs.” The result, no doubt, of extreme poverty and lawlessness.
When we arrived at the slums, I was stunned. There, in a muddy field, sat what must’ve been a hundred dilapidated tin shacks. Unaccompanied children in torn and soiled clothing wandered about barefoot, surrounded by emaciated stray animals and trash. As I stepped into the village, children surrounded me, taking my hand, touching my blonde hair in awe.
They had no luxuries such as food, electricity, or plumbing, but there they were greeting me with huge smiles and hugs. My heart broke for them; their innocence and joy despite their disposition, the disparity they weren’t aware of.
As we toured their homes inside the huts, I briefly met eyes with some of the adults. They were filled with heaviness and sorrow.
Later that night, I went back to the resort and found it hard to sleep in my air conditioned room. I woke up early the next morning, walked down to the ocean, and swam in some of the most pristine, blue water I’ve ever laid eyes on. As I swam near rocks and coves, it occurred to me how safe, calm, and free I felt in the sea that belonged to the Haitian people, and yet, how many of them would never have the privilege of feeling the same way in their own waters.
That trip changed my life, and I went back to the states absolutely convicted of my privilege and with a sense of responsibility to make a difference in the world for children and people like the ones I met.
Yet, somehow, years later, with my trip to Haiti in the rearview mirror, when the reports poured in about “20K Haitians” in the small town of Springfield, eating ducks and cats, and driving like maniacs, all I recounted was the worst of what I saw in Haiti.
I reposted the videos of pleading citizens in town council meetings, reports of the skyrocketing cost of car insurance, and found humor in the AI memes of Trump defending animals. I felt justified in sounding the alarm because it was easy for me to see Springfield turning into the dark side of Haitian cities.
Then, I paused. I remembered the despair I witnessed firsthand. The privilege I held being born in America. I remembered the desperation of the men, women, and children who were so malnourished their stomachs protruded.
Of course these Haitians would hope to come to America to start a new life.
Is it causing growing pains? Yes. Are they all following our cultural norms? No. Is this causing tension with residents, impeding on resources and bandwidth of the state of Ohio, and garnering national attention? Yes. Are there safety concerns? Yes. Is it as bad as it’s being reported? Probably not.
Is it their fault for wanting to escape the grips of poverty and death? No. Would we, if we were in their shoes, jump at the chance of a new life in America? Yes. Should the concerns and needs of Americans be prioritized over foreign needs? Yes. Can we do that while still offering compassion and refuge to our neighbors? Yes, within reason.
All of these things can be true at once.
Shame on the news and our presidential candidates for choosing one side of the story and painting it to the extreme. Shame on me for resharing the story without acknowledging the nuances, as doing so only promotes hatred and fear of migrants.
Despite the cherry picked reporting, the one thing it’s hard not have consensus on is that we need secure borders. After all, if you don’t have a border, you don’t have a country. Try to drive up to Canada and you’ll be detained for half an hour as they properly vet your credentials to enter. It’s okay for us to want to know who’s coming and going, when, and why.
A wall should not be considered a controversial expenditure no more than installing a fence around your house is. When you have a fence, you usually have a single door for entry. It consolidates the way people can come in and prevents unwanted intruders. It keeps you safe. It defines your property.
A wall around our country simply limits the point of entries and increases the bandwidth of our border patrol to do their job the right way. It would significantly decrease the flow of traffic and allow for proper, more manageable vetting.
I won’t add to the fear mongering by saying all migrants are violent criminals, drug mules, or murderers, but I will also not be so naive as to say that drugs, terrorists, and gang members are not getting in. Aside from that, what greatly concerns me is the amount of child and sex trafficking that’s happening at the border as it is so easy for women and children to go unaccounted for.
Something has to be done. Biden and Harris are on one extreme, not visiting or acknowledging the problem at the border, nor doing anything to genuinely stop the flood of people coming in. They aren’t mitigating the issues caused by the influx of undocumented immigrants, or putting the American people first which is their sole responsibility.
It’s okay to have compassion and offer assistance for those hoping to come to America, while first acknowledging and caring for those in need who are already legally in our country. There are plenty of them. We simply do not have the capacity or infrastructure to handle the bandwidth of wide open borders. We must put our oxygen mask on first.
There were 37.9M citizens living in poverty in the U.S. as of 2022. That number is now well over 40M. Inflation has exacerbated some of the worst problems: food insecurity, homelessness and child poverty are all up since 2021. It has never been more out of reach for Americans to own a home.
You cannot add 10-20M immigrants, some from the poorest sectors of the world, to the mix and not expect it to throw us off our axis. They’re not the root cause of crime, homelessness, or inflation, but to pretend they are not leaning on our available resources is to turn a blind eye.
So why do Republicans, who are on the other extreme, try to simplify the message with “they’re eating the pets”? Probably because it’ll provoke a strong and swift reaction from anyone who wants to defend what is rightfully theirs.
As we witnessed from the debate, Americans no longer have time for explanations or facts. Most seem to prefer to latch on to the sound bites of their party. When nuance and evidence are dismissed, truth becomes subjective.
I blame our waning attention spans, lack of research, suppression and collusion of free speech in the press, lack of conversation with those from opposing sides, absence of critical thinking, and those intoxicating algorithms catering to our preconceived notions and interests.
But, there is nuance here.
Sounding the alarm on unsubstantiated reports of Haitians “eating our pets” inadvertently causes racism, hatred, and affliction for an already marginalized community whose greatest crime is seeking refuge.
There’s also no excuse to allow and facilitate the influx of a crippling number of illegals and migrants to towns and cities who do not have the capacity or bandwidth to support it.
We must seal the borders and finish the wall (that, by the time it’s done, we’ll have paid for twice since Biden let the materials lay in rust or sold them for pennies on the dollar). Abolish the reckless prohibitions of sanctuary cities. Get children out of cages. Account for families staying together. Keep drugs and terrorists out.
And then allow more vetted people to come in, more refugees to get help, the right way, with a path to legal citizenship and the American dream.
Just not at the cost of the American dream.