Salona, part of my series Hidden Figures. Salona is a Haitian name that means “rare ruby” or “most beautiful.”
President Trump said the Haitians in Springfield are criminals who eat people’s dogs and cats. In fact they are legal, documented immigrants recruited by local businesses and supported by city officials as being good for the community.
The Springfield News-Sun quoted one of the Haitian immigrants: “No one wants to leave their native country, but a lot of bad things are happening right now because of the gangsters. We’re working here, we’re paying taxes here. We’re just trying to pursue a better life.”
The president says he is taking away the Haitian’s status as legal immigrants in August. That would force them to choose between returning to a violent, dangerous homeland and becoming “hidden figures” unable to work, drive or do other things legally. If he carries through with this threat the president will be hurting our local economy and increasing the number of undocumented immigrants.
It’s clear to me that the president’s attitude towards the Haitians employed in Springfield would be different if they were white. Just compare his statements about those Haitians with his statements about white farmers who are citizens of South Africa. He offered those white farmers a rapid pathway to U.S. citizenship if the South African government took actions that made them feel unsafe.
The president has always been in favor of immigration – as long as the immigrants are white. During his first time in office he repeatedly said he wanted more immigrants from “nice” (white) countries like Norway. Some of the people closest to the president are white immigrants, including his first wife, his current wife and his most important advisor, Elon Musk.
Facing discrimination because they are not white is nothing new for black undocumented immigrants. They have always been more likely to be deported than other immigrants, and more likely to suffer abuse during the process. I hope Salona and her family stay safe.
