Queer Haitian migrants face uncertain future as U.S. revokes status
‘Going back to Haiti has become inconceivable because of the insecurity’
Guillaume, Djennifer and Edmide were all prominent human rights defenders in Haiti before they came to the United States under former president Biden’s Humanitarian Parole Program, which allowed 30,000 Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan, Venezuelan nationals to immigrate to the United States and have a conditional 2-year work authorization.
But now, they face an uncertain future as the Trump administration has announced that this program is being discontinued, along with the Temporary Protected Status granted to up to 500,000 Haitian immigrants currently in the United States, who may be expected to self-deport by August 3.
Erasing 76 Crimes spoke with these three activists about how they are planning for an uncertain future in the United States.
Reasons for migration from Haiti to the United States
Erasing 76 Crimes: What led you to come and live in the United States and leave Haiti?
Guillaume: I came to the United States in early 2024 as part of the Biden [Humanitarian Parole] program (a program allowing 30,000 Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan, Venezuelan nationals to immigrate to the United States and have a conditional 2-year work authorization). Previously, I was the lawyer for the trans organization of Haiti (OTRAH) and worked on advocacy strategies with Dominique Rebel Saint-Vil. I came to the United States for the economic and professional opportunities that this country can offer, in addition to the day-to-day security that the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area in Haiti lacks.
Djennifer: I came to the United States in 2024 with my daughter, because my girlfriend is American and I had a long-standing relationship with her, more or less at a distance. Today, I live in a remote area of the state of Georgia, and my adaptation has not been easy, and I miss Haiti every day. In Haiti, I was an activist with the LGBT+ organization Kouraj, one of the country’s leading organizations, founded by Charlot Jeudy.
Edmide: After a first unsuccessful approach with the French authorities, I came in 2024 under the Biden program with the help of my family who are present in Florida, notably my mother and my little brother who both have permanent residency cards. For my physical safety and health, they think I’m better off in the Miami area. Although living temporarily away from Haiti, I am the founder of a lesbian women’s association there. It’s the NGO Femmes en Action Contre la Stigmatisation et La Discrimination Sexuelle (FACSDIS – Women in Action Against Sexual Stigmatization and Discrimination).
From integration difficulties to Trump’s hostility
Erasing 76 Crimes: In the face of Donald Trump’s immigration blows, do you plan to stay on American soil?
Guillaume: If possible, yes. Afterwards, if I’m asked to leave the United States, I’ll think about other horizons. In any case, for me, going back to Haiti has become inconceivable because of the insecurity. Over there, it’s like living in prison and there’s no escape. What’s more, there are plenty of opportunities in America that there aren’t back home, and I’m authorized to work here, even if it’s difficult to find a job in Florida. Right now, I’m looking for stable opportunities.
Djennifer: Yes, I plan to stay in the United States because my partner has never been to Haiti. She’s neither French nor Creole. And because of the differences in culture, mentality and standards of living, I know she would never make the sacrifice of going to live in my home country, whereas I only dream of going back, even tomorrow if possible. There are calm and safe provinces in Haiti, still untouched by violence.
Paradoxically, while I’m supposed to be living my best life in Georgia, in the most developed country in the world, for me it’s not the case emotionally. And although I’ve recently become fluent in English, I’m looking for work and it’s really hard to adapt. Since I’m with my daughter and there’s no one to look after her, I’m looking for a job from home and, to tell the truth, I’m now even taking up Spanish.
Finally, I feel an immense sense of guilt towards my loved ones back in Port-au-Prince, as gangs have attacked a neighborhood just a stone’s throw from where my mom lives, and this situation is tearing my heart out. I often wish I could be there to protect them with my presence, so that they wouldn’t be so alone in the face of the outpouring of violence in the Haitian capital.
Edmide: I didn’t come with the idea of staying in Florida. I know it’s only temporary, because I left my daughter in Port-au-Prince and I don’t want this situation to last, given the deteriorating security situation there. In the United States, I’m staying with friends and family, since I don’t speak English perfectly. Nevertheless, since my arrival, I’ve been taking language courses on my own, to bring myself up to speed.
I currently have a work permit, but it’s not easy to get hired. In this sense, I would have liked to have been able to find resource centers among local LGBT+ organizations, to help me find my bearings or to socialize more.
An unstable refuge
Erasing 76 Crimes: What is your assessment of your move to the United States?
Guillaume: Foreigners are all very worried, whatever their residency status and whatever their wealth. Some people who arrived under the Biden program, like me, will see their work permits expire at the end of this month. Likewise, foreigners living in the United States with HIV are going through a period of great uncertainty and fear of being deported, while many AIDS programs have come to an end in countries of the Global South, since the Trump administration decided to freeze US foreign aid and dismantle USAID (the United States Agency for International Development).
Djennifer: In Haiti, I didn’t have a problem with racism, but there is homophobia. In the United States, as a woman, I don’t feel lesbophobia, but you have to put up with having to live here with the weight of this federal administration and certain political parties that are against us. It’s very heavy.
