How Californian communities are responding to Haiti’s most recent crisis
By Alicia Alvarez
Gang violence, kidnappings, killings and political instability in Haiti’s capital of Port-au-Prince has reverberated throughout connected communities in the United States.
Over 3,000 miles away, a Los Angeles restaurant owner has felt the effects of the recent outbreak of violence and rhetoric that followed.
Regis Desir, the co-founder and chef of Island Flavors Caribbean Cuisine, owns the only Haitian restaurant in Los Angeles.
Desir is the son of two political refugees who fled Haiti and was raised in Venezuela. Despite living outside of Haiti throughout his life, Desir is still deeply connected to the country through his heritage and love for sharing its cuisine.
“In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs, the people that came in, they’re eating the cats.”
— Donald Trump
After former President Donald Trump made inflammatory comments alluding to the Haitian migrants entering the United States, two white women specifically sought out Desir’s restaurant to show support for the community.
“They were excited to find a Haitian food place and were telling me how disappointed they were with the comments,” Desir said.
On Sept. 10, Trump claimed that immigrants in Springfield, Ohio were "eating the dogs, the people that came in, they're eating the cats," according to a September NPR article.
Desir first bought and created Island Flavors Caribbean Cuisine as a gift to his mother, a Haitian woman politically exiled from the country. Now, he runs it in partnership with his mother and found the comments Trump made disrespectful.
“We love goat. We do eat pig. We love that. We love fish, fresh snapper. Like we don't eat household pets,” Desir said. “We're here to educate people about our culture and our culinary arts.”
Haitian migrants and Haitian-Americans have faced threats of violence and deportation over recent months after inflammatory attacks, making various Southern California communities speak out in support of Haiti and its diaspora in the United States.
Brief timeline of current crisis in Haiti
The Brief History of Haiti offers a short overview of historical events that contributed to the destabilization of the country.
Many of these events also pushed the Haitian diaspora to migrate, contributing to the Haitian communities prevelant in the United States.
A Brief History of Haiti
The start of Haiti’s political unrest is attributed to a 7.0 magnitude earthquake in January of 2010, according to the Associated Press. About 220,000 people were killed in this natural disaster, which marked the start of Haiti’s ongoing humanitarian crisis.
The assassination of Jovenel Moïse in July 2021, Haiti’s president at the time, sparked gang violence that is still present in the capital Port-au-Prince.
As of September 2024, millions of Haitians are facing hunger and hundreds of thousands are under threat of being unhoused.
An attack on Oct. 4 in a town in Haiti’s breadbasket region resulted in at least 70 deaths. The violence is radiating to neighboring regions from gang-controlled Port-au-Prince, leading thousands to flee, according to Reuters.
This crisis, while geographically disntant, has closely affected the Haitian community in the United States.
“When violence is most high, phone communication is cut down, or internet communication is cut down so people aren't able to speak to each other,” Nadine Louis, a Haitian-American and former Los Angeles teacher, said.
Louis has friends and family living in Haiti that she has been unable to visit because of the violence in Port-au-Prince. With the breakdown of communication during high-violence periods, families hold their breath while waiting for a message from loved-ones.
“They're always hoping that it's a fluke, always hoping that it doesn't mean something worse. When I see these blackout periods and the escalating violence, I see a lot of ‘In Memoriam’ posts on Instagram,” Louis said.
American Media Frenzy
While Haitians have been in the midst of this crisis for years, it was brought to Americans' attention after Trump made a baseless claim on the presidential debate stage that immigrants were eating household pets in Springfield, Ohio.
Trump’s running mate and vice-presidential candidate JD Vance perpetuated this rumor, specifying that the immigrants Trump later referred to were Haitian.
Springfield has seen an increase in immigration, receiving between 15,000 and 20,000 migrants in the last four years. Many of these migrants are from Haiti, according to a September NPR article.
Ohio Gov.r Mike Dewine dismissed this rumor after the presidential debate, stating that there is no evidence to support that Haitian migrants are abducting and consuming cats and dogs, according to The Hill.
These comments, which gained popularity on social media sites, concerned the Haitian community in Los Angeles.
This collection of screenshots display the range from serious debunking of Trump's claim to making light of the issue by various large media publications, illustrating how a media frenzy can pull the American audience into different narrrataives and understandings of the issue.
“It’s one racist dog whistle and it’s connected to greater systems of oppression,” Louis said. “To see these comments happen and then immediately have the KKK disseminate flyers calling different people beasts and who are immigrants, it's really stoking a dangerous, dangerous fire.”
The rhetoric and accusations of immigrants consuming household pets is nothing new. This tale often targets migrants from Asian countries but has now spread to the conversation surrounding Haiti.
The Haitian Bridge Alliance, a San Diego-based organization focused on providing legal and humanitarian resources for immigrants, was forced to shut down after the comments made by Trump and Vance gained traction online.
“We were under extreme threat by people with extreme racist ideologies. Unfortunately, we had self-proclaimed white supremacists putting our office address on X telling people this is where they need to go if they needed to push back” said Guerline Jozef, founder and executive director of the Haitian Bridge Alliance.
This isn’t the first time Trump has made inflammatory statements surrounding Haiti.
“It reminded me of Trump's presidency when he called Haiti a shithole country,” Louis said. “It solidified that I don't want to go back to that sign where the leader of the free world is saying that.”
Southern California's Response
Louis is among thousands of Haitians living in California affected by these comments.
According to a 2024 study from World Population Review, just over 12,500 people with Haitian ancestry live in California. While the state’s Haitian population is small compared to Florida and New York, the community has been rallied around.
CLUE Justice, a Los Angeles-based nonprofit interfaith organization, released a statement of solidarity following Trump’s remarks.
CLUE Justice's released a press release responding to Trump and Vance's comments claiming that Haitian immigrants were eating household pets of residents in Springfield. The release called for religious community members of all faiths to stand in solidarity with the Haitian community.
“Black and Latinx clergy and community will let it be known that they stand with the Haitian and immigrant community and call for them to be treated with dignity and respect,” read the statement.
This statement preluded a press conference held the following day to “amplify the voices calling and defending the humanity and dignity of all our migrant community, the belonging of all of God’s children.”
Guillermo Torres, Immigration Program Director at CLUE Justice, said that this response was one of many actions the organization takes to support all individuals, including Haitian migrants.
“This statement was to make sure that the Haitian community knows that we stand with them and we help amplify their voices for dignity and belonging, that they're all children of God, and they have humanity and dignity and worth,” Torres said.
CLUE Justice functions as Laity United for Economic Justice and clergy to educate and later mobilize local religious leaders and communities to support workers seeking justice, employment and fair treatment, according to its website.
"People trying to single out people that look just like us, all that's going to do is get you harassed more."
— Regis Desir
Torres said that the organization also helps immigrants seeking asylum by connecting them with sponsors, covering legal fees and helping find adequate housing. Torres said he is helping a couple from Haiti relocate back to Los Angeles from San Diego after immigrating to the United States years ago.
Some surrounding religious communities supported CLUE Justice’s solidarity with Haitian migrants.
“We sure got a lot of our religious leaders from different traditions,” Torres said. “From the Jewish faith traditions to the Episcopalians to the Methodist, really validating that we do this right.”
These comments impact more than the Haitian community. Desir and Torres said when one community of color is attacked, so are others.
“We’re all just African Americans if that's what you want to call it,” Desir said. “People trying to single out people that look just like us, all that's going to do is get you harassed more.”
Jozef said that there is a prevalent fear within these migrants. Many are asylum seekers and are concerned that if Trump is reelected, his threat of deportation will become reality.
The Haitian Bridge Alliance “is a lifeline for the community,” Jozef said. “When we were forced to shut down, we saw an increase of people seeking support, from legal to social services, to see what their next step will be.”
The small Haitian diaspora in Southern California is slowly establishing itself while still remaining connected to and impacted by the crisis in Haiti.
“As people are trying to survive here and trying to make a home in San Diego, we will see a more vibrant Haitian-American community,” said Jozef. The young community is still directly connected to the crisis in Haiti. Many individuals have just arrived in the United States or have direct familial ties in Haiti that cannot be disconnected, according to Jozef.
While San Diego Haitians are just starting to solidify the presence of this new community, other Haitian diaspora communities throughout the U.S. have seen the negative effects of the anti-immigrant comments made by Trump and Vance.
Haitian communities around the U.S.
“I’ve got family in places where there's a lot more Haitians than the West Coast and I've been hearing about some kids not going to school [on the East Coast], not getting sent to school,” Desir said.
Springfield received bomb threats after these comments, shutting down schools and making Haitian community members question their safety. Miami and Brooklyn also have large Haitian communities and could face similar threats.
Trump has threatened to revoke the Temporary Protected Status of Haitians in the United States and promised to deport them if elected,according to the Miami Herald.
Haitians outside targeted areas, such as Florida and California, are concerned about these statements.
“I'm very worried about the people in Ohio. I saw the KKK flyers, the news has not shown that there's a KKK flier that was calling Haitians beasts, and that was all over social media,” Louis said. “So I'm very worried, because that's a newer community. Miami and New York have a more established community, so I feel like they'll protect each other.”
While some are concerned for individuals in Ohio, Louis said many in the Los Angeles community are unaware of the issue. Despite the media attention these comments garnered, some feel it is still ignored by relevant figures.
Guillermo Torres, the Immigration Program Director at CLUE Justice, generally criticized Caucasian faith leaders around the country for not speaking out in support.
Looking forward
With thousands of Haitian immigrants fleeing the crisis in Haiti, the dialogue surrounding immigration policies is likely to continue beyond the November election.
Jean-Philippe R. Beaulieu, founder of Haiti Engaged, said that the American public will likely turn away from the conversation about Haiti’s current crisis as the election draws closer despite the direct link to the topic of immigration and asylum.
Haiti Engaged is a media and broadcasting company based in Los Angeles that focuses on educating the public on Haitian culture and issues.
American media has been criticized for the portrayal of Haiti and Haitian communities in the United States, adding to the issue of representation and rhetoric.
“I think they make it seem like Haitians are powerless and like there isn't enough history,” Louis said. Louis also said that there is a lack of traditional news coverage, with most information being disseminated through social media.
“Haiti is a country of 12 million people. And of course, in the capital, there's chaos, and even in the capital, just like in any city in the world, it's not all over the place,” Beaulieu said.
Despite the violence, Beaulieu said that he knows many people are retiring in Haiti or living out their day-to-day life, whereas the major American news outlets paint the country as entirely chaotic or unsafe.
“When we talk about Haiti, the American media always fails to highlight the contribution Haiti and the Haitian community made to the United States and the world in general,” Jozef said. Many countries “were built on the fact that the Haitian revolution gave way to freedom in the western hemisphere and around the world.”
