INTL 190 - Haiti in a Transnational Context

Migration to Chile

This online forum will use different excerpts to explore the correlation between Chiles and Haitians, especially by focusing on the treatment of the Haitian migrants in Chile. First, both countries share bilateral relations; hence, Chile has an ambassadorial office in Haiti and Haiti has one in Chile. Although there have been past migration incidences of the Haitians to Chile, the migrants to Chile were in minimal numbers. Before the 2010 earthquake, most Haitians migrated to Chile to look for better opportunities to enhance their living standards. Hence, many earlier migrants to Chile considered it a haven of opportunities. Some of the Haitian residents escaped Haiti due to the strict policies of enslavement introduced by the American troop's occupation, as well as the collection of huge tributes and taxes from the Black people. The increased cases of racism are among the main reasons for the migration of the Haitians to neighboring countries such as Chile (Jara-Labarthe and Cesar 286). The migration of the Haitians in large numbers to Chile took place in the 2010 Haitian earthquakes, which had leftover 30,000 Haitians homeless. During this time, the Chilean government had lean immigration policies, especially on the Haitians. They received them as refugees to help them recover from the earthquake's aftermath.
However, there has been a massive migration of Haitians to Chile in recent days. Many Haitians have been able to access the border crossing to Chile as a tourist but ended up overstaying in Chile even after the expiration of their tourist visas. Miller asserts that there has been a wave of Haitian migrants arriving in Chile in recent years, increasing the overall population of Chile (Miller). Many of these Haitians managed to cross borders to Chile using tourist visas, which are easier to get compared to employment visas, as seen in the photograph below. By April of 2018, it is estimated that 120,000 Haitians resided in Chile, with many of them working in low-wage sectors such as cleaning and construction. All these migrants, many of them aged 30 years and above, have stayed and worked in Chile since 2010 due to its economic prowess (Miller). This aspect has made Chile grow exceedingly compared to other regions of the Pacific, making it more attractive to immigrants looking for a better place to reside and make a living
Nevertheless, this haven for Haitian migrants has proved to be an unconducive environment in recent days. Following the presidency of Sebastian, the illegal immigrants have been threatened with deportation back to their nations. Like many other nations in Latin America, Chile has been grappling with increased racism against its indigenous people. This discrimination has grown even worse with the recent increase in immigration of Haitians to the country. The insurgent increase in immigrants has heightened debates regarding ethnicity issues. As the country primarily becomes more diverse, it challenges the 1980 constitution that requires all Chilean residents to be treated equally. The conservatives in Chile argue that this constitution proposition includes the indigenous people, whereas the opponents debate that the proposal ignores the genocidal history against them. Increased racism and ill-treatment of the Haitian immigrants into Chile have contributed to the large numbers of these refugees who are now contemplating moving and seeking refuge in the United States.
 

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