Testimonies from Haitians in Chile
Increased restrictive immigration policies in such villages and the belief by the Haitian refugees at significant risk of deportation that the US under the Bidden administration is welcoming to refugees, have contributed to many Haitians abandoning their once haven and the land of opportunities. According to a 24-year-old Wilbert Pierre, who was interviewed by the Washington post regarding the deserted Haitian villages in Chile, "there is hardly anyone left here now." The gentleman makes these assertions while pointing fingers to the TawTaw barbershop where he trains in becoming a hairdresser. Pierre continues to state, "all the people I have known in the four years of being in Chile have managed to travel to the US since March this year." Pierre further adds that the resultant movement of many Haitians out of Chile has been exacerbated by the introduction of tough immigration policies and the Chilean employers and landlords. These individuals made the lives of Haitian immigrants more challenging. Due to the language barrier, many Haitians are unable to speak Spanish. The Chilean landlords and employers took advantage of this language barrier to exploit them as a condition of accepting them. For example, Pierre indicates that he had to pay over $100 to apply for a residential place, which was declined after two years, with the landlord indicating that his application was rejected.
Like Pierre, Emanuel Louis, who is 36 years old and originates from Port-au-Prince, indicates that he and his family arrived in Santiago almost the same time as Pierre. Louis contends that Haiti's living conditions were challenging because affording basic needs such as food was difficult compared to purchasing bullets (Bartlett). Louis offers that they fled Haiti in better lives and an excellent environment to bring up their son. Louis, an artist, however, indicates that although the Chileans are good people, racism against people of color is overly pronounced in different community sectors. For example, Louis narrates the event that took his son's life where he had drowned in a public municipal pool. Louis believes that although several people in the swimming pool were of Chilean origin, they ignored to save his son because of their color. Although the case about the six-year-old drowning is ongoing, Louis feels that the authorities had disregarded it.