Over the past two years, about 1,100 Haitian immigrants have come to Rhode Island, according to Baha Sadr, the state refugee coordinator at RI Department of Human Services.
Across the country, the number of Haitian migrants who have entered legally has grown, in part due to President Biden’s 2023 humanitarian parole program. In August, the United States Customs and Border Protection released data which found that more than 210,000 Haitians have been paroled into the United States through the program.
But entering the country is only the first step in an often difficult adjustment process. In Rhode Island, nonprofits and other community organizations offer essential support during the transition.
Bernard Georges, the executive director of New Bridges For Haitian Success who immigrated to the United States in 2000, explained that there has been a long history of Haitian immigration into the United States due to the “violence, political instability and poverty” of the nation. The 2021 assassination of Haiti’s President Jovenel Moïse and infiltration of gang-related violence (which caused the country’s main international airport to close for nearly three months) have worsened conditions in the country, he said. Natural disasters have also been a consistent hardship for Haitians.
After Hurricane Matthew, a team from New Bridges traveled to remote areas in Haiti to provide healthcare assistance. According to Georges, the organization was also able to send an ambulance with medical supplies to the country through a donation from Governor Daniel McKee.
“When I came here in 2000, there was no Haitian organization to help me navigate the American system,” Georges shared. His father, who immigrated to America before him, first lived in Florida but then moved to Providence because his co-workers — some of whom were undocumented — told him that “Rhode Island was safer” for Haitian immigrants.
Most of the work that New Bridges does involves assisting Haitian immigrants in Rhode Island by providing a communal space to access resources of all types. According to Georges, over 3,000 Haitians utilize the organization’s services.
“When Haitians arrive here,” Georges said, “they often have nothing except the desire to work and to take advantage of the American economic opportunity.”
But for many clients of New Bridges, finding a job is difficult.
A New Bridges client, who wished to remain anonymous for safety reasons, shared that it took him five months to find a job after arriving in the United States in 2023 through the humanitarian parole program.
He further described facing discrimination in several of the jobs he has found, including as a rideshare driver and a stocker for a chain store, from both clients and managers alike. At the chain store, he would often eat in his car because he felt so isolated, he said. Eventually, he decided to leave the job.
His brother and mother, who have both been living in America for over twenty years, have been able to provide financial stability while he works with New Bridges to secure a new job.
When asked if America was what he thought it would be, he answered “no.”
Rolande Martial, a caseworker for the client in question, says she has helped thousands of immigrants since starting her work with New Bridges in March. Normally she assists around 30 people each day, writing intake forms and working to find her clients housing, employment opportunities and making them aware of the English as a Second Language programs as well as immigration services the organization provides.
Since English is not taught at schools in Haiti, for newcomers trying to find work in Rhode Island, the language barrier can be especially difficult. The organization’s ESL classes are particularly popular, with over 40 students currently enrolled in the program.
Valery Desrosiers, a member of the board for New Bridges, said that “Haitians that come here are coming in with a lot of skills — you have people that were probably doctors, engineers, working other highly educated jobs back in Haiti.”
But Desrosiers added that when many Haitians come to America, their experience is often undervalued. In his experience, Haitian immigrants are “expected to act as if they are uneducated.”
“As soon as they (cross) the border, their experience is basically wiped out,” Desrosiers said. “That has a psychological effect on a person.”
Georges noted the harm of similar negative tropes that have been circulated about Haitians. Georges said it was “painful” to hear former President Donald Trump claim that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio had abducted and eaten their neighbor’s pets. “It hurt,” he said.
The Morija Haitian Seventh-day Adventists Church provides both support and a space for community gathering to Rhode Island’s Haitian community.
Pastor Agee Vetiaque explained that the church offers services in English, Creole and French, aiming to “support people with all backgrounds to come and put their faith and work together.”
He added that during the busiest services of the year, the church has served as many as 300 people. During the winter months, the church hosts clothing drives where items such as gloves, hats, coats and boots are provided to Haitian community members in need.
In addition to their Pawtucket location, the church also has a mission in Haiti. “We are always trying to sustain (the) two groups,” Agee said. “While we are here, we are always trying to help people back (home).”
New Bridges also helps their clients with immigration services, and is currently working with the city of Providence and the mayor’s office to have the funds to pay for more lawyers to represent clients during their immigration hearings.
The organization is also looking to expand these efforts, working with Roger Williams University School of Law to provide a law clinic at the center. “We want to have law students help our clients obtain their legal documents quicker, instead of the one or two lawyers we currently have working here.”
While New Bridges prioritizes Haitians in the Rhode Island community, Derosiers emphasized that the organization is open to helping all of those in need.
For example, since May 2020, the organization has hosted weekly food drives within the community. Over 400 people come a day, according to Georges.
“I know the name of the organization is New Bridges for Haitian Success,” said Derosiers. “You may think that we are only serving Haitians. But when I come on Saturdays, I see the whole community at the food drives.”
“Our work wants to bring people together to see how we can really, truly make a big presence in the state,” Desrosiers said. “Haitians are not in hiding. We are at the forefront of the community.”
Sanai Rashid was raised in Brooklyn and now lives in Long Island, New York. As an English and History concentrator, she is always looking for a way to amplify stories and histories previously unheard. When she is not writing, you can find her trying new pizza places in Providence or buying another whale stuffed animal.
