The shelves at Queen’s Market still hold bags of corn millet and leafy Haitian lalo, but the customers who buy them are vanishing from the streets of Charleroi.
As the Trump administration ramps up pressure on immigrants with Temporary Protected Status to “take advantage of the department’s resources for departure,” a community that spent a decade revitalizing this Mon Valley town is now packing its bags.
The Department of Homeland Security said Friday it is encouraging those with the protected status to return to their native countries. That includes the Haitian community that settled in Charleroi more than a decade ago, finding work at a food processing plant there.
The Haitians have enjoyed what the administration characterized as a de facto amnesty program that previous administrations have used since 2010.
“Haiti’s (Temporary Protected Status) was granted following an earthquake that took place over 15 years ago,” a statement from Homeland Security said. “It was never intended to be a de facto amnesty program, yet that’s how previous administrations have used it for decades. Temporary means temporary, and the final word will not be from an activist judge legislating from the bench.”
Those who lose their temporary status will be subject to deportation unless they have another lawful basis to remain in the United States, the department said.
‘More people are leaving’
The number of Haitians in Charleroi has been shrinking in the past few months as the result of both job loss and fear of deportation, according to the operator of a Haitian assistance agency.
“Right now, more people are leaving than coming into Charleroi,” said Jimmy Alexandre, owner and operator of the Haitian Resource Center in downtown Charleroi.
Alexandre said the Haitian community worries about what may happen if the administration wins its court battle to lift the temporary status, which was set to expire Feb. 3 before a federal judge blocked the expiration. The administration said it is considering its legal options.
Haitians have had Temporary Protected Status since 2010, when the West Indies country was devastated by an earthquake. That status allows them to legally live and work in the United States and obtain identification and a driver’s license, Alexandre said.
When the Haitians did arrive in Charleroi upon the recommendation of fellow Haitians, “they weren’t taking anyone’s job,” Alexandre said.
Many found work at Fourth Street Foods Inc., which made a variety of frozen food products at a plant in nearby Speers, Alexandre said. Those without vehicles were shuttled to the plant by vans.
But Fourth Street Foods was sued last year by Huntington National Bank after allegedly defaulting on a loan. Fourth Street Foods responded by announcing in October that it was closing operations, resulting in a loss of about 250 jobs. It remained open and was sold to Pennsylvania Food Corp. at the end of January for $3 million, according to court documents.
Alexandre said a number of Haitians who had worked at the plant were laid off in January when the loss of their protected immigration status would mean they would lose the right to work on Feb. 3.
“They could have worked there three to four years, but they can’t get unemployment compensation, even though they paid into it,” Alexandre said.
They wanted to work but needed to prove they had the right to work, Alexandre said. No one would hire them because the expectation was the government was pulling their protected immigration status in a few weeks, he said.
A spokesperson for Pennsylvania Food Corp. could not be reached for comment.
‘Back to Mexico’
“Some people have had to leave (the Charleroi area) to seek work … even going back to Mexico,” where they had lived in a Haitian community before entering the United States, Alexandre said. He was not certain about where others may have gone.
“They had to have a job to feed their families. There are opportunities for jobs, but they can’t take them. They are not part of the problem,” Alexandre said.
With Haitians leaving, some businesses in downtown Charleroi that catered to the Haitian community — including a clothing store and the Global Food and Convenience featuring African and Caribbean food — have closed in the past 18 months.
One of the stores whose doors remain open is Queen’s Market, a grocery store that caters to the immigrant community with its corn millet and leafy green Haitian lalo. Store owner Augusta “Queenie” Goll, a native of the West African nation of Liberia, said she sees fewer Haitians in town these days, which she attributes to fear of the future.
“It’s kind of scary for them because they are losing what they had before,” said Goll, referring to jobs and their protected immigrant status to remain in the country legally.
Adding to the fears of deportation is the possibility of a raid by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, Alexandre said.
Joe Manning, Charleroi Borough manager, said ICE agents are not required to report to the borough if they conduct any enforcement operation.
A spokesperson for ICE could not be reached for comment.