The fallout of immigration misinformation and false rumors amplified by former President Donald Trump about immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, are impacting Haitian-Americans in Connecticut.
“Words can be just as powerful as they are damaging,” said Diana Malette-Revolus, part of the Haitian Community Center of Stamford.
Speaking on Connecticut Public’s “The Wheelhouse,” Malette-Revolus said the GOP’s amplification of false rumors involving Haitians abducting and eating people’s pets in Springfield reminds her of when Haitians were falsely scapegoated during the AIDS crisis in the 1980s.
“If you have someone who’s next to you — and for years has been a Haitian friend of yours — and, all of a sudden today, you look at them different, I really want you to assess yourself,” Malette-Revolus said. “How do we look at each other as Americans?”
Officials have said there have been no credible or detailed reports about the claims in Springfield, even as Trump and his allies use them to amplify racist stereotypes about Black and brown immigrants.
GOP comments mobilize some Haitian voters in CT
Immacula Cann, a Haitian-American living in Stratford, said when she first heard Trump's debate comments, she didn’t get angry.
"My immediate gut reaction is, this is very sad. What a sad day for our country," Cann said.
Cann is one of more than 20,000 people of Haitian descent living in Connecticut, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
In the wake of Trump's remarks, Cann said members of Connecticut's Haitian-American community are mobilizing for voter outreach.
“We have to stay focused and really help that community have a voice, and this is how they're going to gain their voice ... by voting," she said.
Jean Amos Lys is with Sakpase, a Haitian American community advocacy group in Hartford. People wishing to vote can come to Sakpase for help, Lys said.
“If you're not sure how to register to vote, you can reach out to us. We will guide you and let you know how the process works," Lys said. "We are here. We are upset. Our actions will speak louder than our words."
Immigration and the economy
Charles Venator-Santiago, a researcher and associate professor at the University of Connecticut, said there’s room in the American economy to absorb as many as 100 million more migrants.
“In the case of the United States, immigrants are actually creating jobs for under-educated Americans, who now become managers of a lot of these immigrants who are coming into the country,” Venator-Santiago told Connecticut Public's "The Wheelhouse."
But the biggest barrier to this type of success, Venator-Santiago said, is access to work permits for undocumented immigrants.
This summer the Congressional Budget Office released an analysis that found the influx of several million migrants since 2021 has boosted the U.S. economy.
“CBO estimates that the immigration surge will add $1.2 trillion in federal revenues over the 2024–2034 period,” the analysis said.
While the CBO projects a huge increase in the country’s GDP, it also said fewer benefits tend to trickle down to the state and local level.
“Research has generally found that increases in immigration raise state and local governments’ costs more than their revenues, and CBO expects that finding to hold in the case of the current immigration surge,” according to the report. “Its impact will vary among jurisdictions.”
An aging state like Connecticut is set to reap the benefits of an influx of new residents in industries struggling with staffing shortages, Venator-Santiago said.
“In the case of Connecticut in particular, we have an aging population that’s moving out of the labor force,” Venator-Santaigo said. “Immigrants — particularly Latinos — are filling that gap.”
Learn more:
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
