Profiles of the Haitian Diaspora in the Caribbean #2: French Overseas Territories

Our associated researcher Charlotte Wiener describes the lack of legal protection affecting the Haitian migrant population living in the French Overseas Territories. This is the second article in the series on the Haitian diaspora.

Read the French version Profils de la diaspora haitienne dans la Caraibe #2 : la France d'outre-mer

By Charlotte Wiener

OBMICA Associated Researcher, based in Martinique

Population

It is difficult to assess with certainty the size of the Haitian population in the French Overseas Territories because of restrictions on the dissemination of this information. For this reason, the latest census by the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies in French Guiana dates from 2015, including 27,952 Haitian citizens, 2008 for Guadeloupe, including 27,000 Haitian citizens, and 1999 for Martinique, including 1,300 Haitian citizens. These figures do not take into account members of the Haitian diaspora with irregular migration status, and that is not insignificant. In addition, the numbers have certainly increased steadily, and Haitian immigrants continue to hold a majority position within the immigrant population of these three territories.

Legal framework

Exceptional rights, discounted rights, variable-geometry rights, or the absence of rights in overseas France: many terms are used to describe rights and their lack of enforcement in France's overseas departments. Martinique, Guadeloupe, and French Guiana, as French departments, must follow French legislation on foreigners, with all its rights and duties. However, this legislation has problematic specificities, since it radically reduces both the number and quality of migrants' and refugees' rights.

Socioeconomic situation Haitian immigrants in Martinique and Guadeloupe initially arrived to ease labor shortages during the banana, pineapple, and sugarcane harvests. Later, Haitian workers were recruited to break strikes. In French Guiana, Haitian migrants were of great help in building the Guiana Space Centre for decades. Today, in all three territories, but especially in Guiana, members of the Haitian diaspora are found in all kinds of trades. Nevertheless, the majority continue to suffer exploitation that has become sadly common.

Current challenges

In Martinique, there is latent xenophobia toward members of the Haitian diaspora. This can be perceived through derogatory comments in colloquial language, which at the same time coincide with the image of the "good Haitian worker." In Guadeloupe, this same pair of stereotypes is sometimes extremely violent, as was the case between 2002 and 2004. During this period, a Guadeloupean radio host turned politician, nicknamed "Ibo Simon," enjoyed a certain popularity by inciting Guadeloupeans to violence against Haitians whom he blamed for all evils. There are also reasons to speak of xenophobia in Guiana. However, in this vast territory, the Haitian diaspora still has better access to social mobility than in the two islands mentioned. Another major challenge today for the Haitian diaspora in the French Overseas Territories is residence permits. Recently, associations have sounded the alarm because of a new violation of Haitian rights in Guadeloupe, which is also spreading in Martinique and Guiana. It would involve imposing, without announcement or preparation, another obstacle in the residence-permit process: the need to legalize civil-status documents through the French Embassy in Haiti. Given that these documents already require legalization in Haiti by the public prosecutor's office, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and also the Consulate General of Haiti, this apparently would still not be sufficient, showing a lack of trust in Haitian institutions.

One of the most striking examples of this discrimination is the search for supposed sham marriages by the French authorities. The fear that such tactics may emerge is so strong that it already caused the death of a Haitian citizen who, while trying to escape police controls, jumped from a bridge in Martinique in 2015. In French Guiana, one can speak of sub-rights with the decree of May 23, 2018, which planned to "experiment with faster processing of asylum requests": the usual 21-day period for submitting an asylum claim is reduced to 7 days. In addition, the poorest households of the Haitian diaspora are not spared by the law of June 23, 2011 against unfit housing, particularly in Guiana. In force since 2018, the French state uses it to evict inhabitants and destroy their homes.

Possibilities for the future

The possibilities for the future depend not only on the French state establishing a law on foreigners in overseas territories that respects the Haitian diaspora and all foreigners, but also on an alliance between the Haitian diaspora and civil society in these three territories to fight for that respect. And this begins by highlighting the value of Haitian immigration and, more generally, immigration in the French Overseas Territories.