America was once a beacon, but hope has turned to fear for Georgia Haitians
The trauma of losing your way of life is something no family should ever have to go through, and yet it is what our nation is going through.
Recent executive actions like the announced removal of legal status for thousands of Haitian migrants (currently caught up in legal challenges) and the more than $45 billion allotted by Congress for mass deportation initiatives demonstrate a fundamental shift in America’s approach to immigration, tossing thousands of families into uncertainty.
Instead of a beacon of opportunity and freedom, the message is clear: There is no hope in America for immigrants, whether they immigrated legally during the previous administration or not.
That’s a much different message than I remember as a desperately excited 10-year-old, longing to join my parents who had already made the grueling boat ride from Haiti to Florida. Now, more than 40 years later, I am blessed to receive and serve others who are trying to immigrate legally in my leadership roles at the Samaritan’s Heart Foundation and Good Samaritan Haitian Alliance Church.
Mass deportation policies ‘decimate the American church’
Over the past few years, this church and ministry have collectively responded to immense needs by opening their doors to hundreds of individuals, primarily from my now-conflict-afflicted homeland of Haiti.
Our efforts, which initially emphasized language and cultural literacy workshops, have expanded to rent support and temporary housing placements for some families. At this point, I’ve heard hundreds of stories from families who now make up at least 50% of our congregation, some traveling from out of state to worship with us.
Former President Ronald Reagan once mused: “You can go to live in France, but you cannot become a Frenchman. You can go to live in Germany or Turkey or Japan, but you cannot become a German, a Turk or a Japanese. But anyone, from any corner of the Earth, can come to live in America and become an American.”
Tragically, that is no longer true.
A recent report from the National Association of Evangelicals and World Relief said it best. It found that across our nation, the mass deportation policies that turbocharged detention and deportation spending will “separate families on a massive scale.” And just like what’s already occurred in my community, they will “decimate the American church” and “send vulnerable people who have not broken any law into horrifying humanitarian crises.”
Our ministry has provided far more mental health consultations than driving lessons in the past few months — and attendance has dropped since people are afraid to leave their homes. Some members in my community have described to me the American dream — the promise of a life free from fear — was their last hope, and even that has turned into a nightmare.
Immigration and rule of law are not mutually exclusive
The bipartisan American Dream and Promise Act celebrates the decision to come to America as a testament to our nation’s greatness and desirability. It rejects the political falsehood that the rule of law and immigration are mutually exclusive, instead enabling individuals in temporary legal statuses to pursue permanent protections. Crucially, it acknowledges that Haitian immigrants, who have diligently integrated into our culture through classes, church and job training, should not be forced into an existence of fear under threat of deportation to a humanitarian crisis. Through its passage, they would be able to secure a path to permanent residency.
I urge Georgia’s congressional delegation — especially those who represent my part of metro Atlanta, each of whom shares my Christian faith, Reps. Andrew Clyde, R-District 9, Mike Collins, R-District 10, and David Scott, D-District 13 — to recognize the human cost of deportation and lead us forward with renewed integrity. Furthermore, I compel them to grapple with the stakes of how these decisions impact our national Identity — a pride that surges in the hearts of recent immigrants like no others.
Let us reaffirm America’s role as a true beacon of hope. Let us stand with our immigrant brothers and sisters, uphold the promises made, and remember that when one part of the body suffers, we all suffer. Finally, we must not let stability become the enemy of dignity. Pass the American Dream and Promise Act and prove that we have not forgotten who we are.
Watson Escarment serves as the executive director of the Samaritan’s Heart Foundation and as the director of administration and operations at Good Samaritan Haitian Alliance Church in Lawrenceville, a part of the Christian & Missionary Alliance denomination.
