“They have attacked schools, hospitals, anything they come across. They murdered a Kenyan police officer,” said Wesley Joseph. “The gangs fear no one.”
Credit: Bryant Billing
Credit: Bryant Billing
Joseph is one of the thousands of Haitians who have come to Ohio in recent years. His journey to the U.S. began when two gunmen threatened his life in 2018.
“People would see us entering the Ministry of Interior and think money is flowing inside, but that was not true,” Joseph said. “One day, two men approached me and said they knew who I was and where I worked. If I continued, they would kill me. Then they showed me their guns. When I told my mother she cried, and I knew then I had to leave the country.”
He chose to emigrate to Brazil because of the nation’s reputation for multiculturalism. At first, things were idyllic in the seaside town of Porto Alegre where Joseph was part of a growing Haitian diaspora. Soon, according to Joseph, they would become targets of intense xenophobia.
“Some Brazilians would accuse us of stealing their jobs or their women,” Joseph said. ”One day, a Haitian friend and I were at a park hanging out. A man on a motorcycle passed and shouted ‘I see you’. The next day my friend was killed on his way to work.”
“In Brazil, if they want you, they will find you.”
Joseph chose to come to the U.S., travelling through South and Central America before arriving in Mexico where he filed his paperwork to enter the country legally. He was accepted and has been in the U.S. since July 2024, living in Miami, Springfield, and finally Dayton.
“I have since applied for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and am supposed to meet a judge in November 2026 to see if I am eligible for asylum,” Joseph said.
Fellow Haitians Jean Roma Bartolomey and Roudachel Charpentier also made their way to Springfield from Florida before eventually settling in Dayton. They, too, were given humanitarian parole. But after the DHS announced an end to the program, they are among the many Haitians who have until April 24 to either correct their status or self-deport.
Credit: Bryant Billing
Credit: Bryant Billing
“I fear deportation only because of how dangerous Haiti is right now,” Charpentier said. “There is no security there. When things are safe I have no problem going back. But right now I’m very afraid.”
“If I can’t live here legally, I will go back to my country. But if I go back, I am dead.”
While Bartolomey has been able to get TPS and, like Joseph, apply for asylum and acquire a work permit, Charpentier’s situation is more complicated. His application remains pending with no word on when, or if, it will be resolved.
“I already applied for TPS five months ago and never received my paper from Immigration Services,” Charpentier said.
In a month, Charpentier will be unable to work his job at Amazon or continue studying at Clark State College. He fears having to endure homelessness while awaiting Immigration Services’ response.
“I can’t sleep because I know after one month I won’t be able to work, earn money, go to school or do anything,” Charpetnier said. “I can do nothing but wait for their final decision. I don’t know what will happen.”
Meanwhile, the situation in Haiti continues to spiral. According to the UN, gangs currently control 85% of the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince. News outlets regularly report on Haiti’s ongoing surge of violent crime. A multinational, Kenyan-led police force is reeling from a sustained campaign of violence launched by these armed groups. Those caught in the middle face a stark choice.
“In Haiti, the policemen call you a gangster and the gangsters say if you aren’t with them you are with the police. You end up in trouble with both sides,” Joseph said.
The UN Human Rights Office reported in February that over a million people had been displaced by gang violence in Haiti, with 5,600 killed last year alone. UNICEF also reported a 1,000 percent increase in cases of sexual violence involving children from 2023 to 2024.
According to Joseph, recent news has given Haitian immigrants even more reasons to worry.
“In Haiti, the gangs make announcements before they do anything. And recently, one of their leaders, Lanmo Sanjou, said that when President Trump sends the Haitians back he will come for us one by one. And he means it.”
Sanjou, whose real name is Wilson Joseph, is a gang leader wanted by the FBI for the 2021 kidnapping of 16 missionaries.
“Things are getting worse day by day. Our families are very afraid for us. When I speak with my mother, father, or sister they are all wondering what I am going to do,” Roudachel said.
Even with a date to stand before a judge, Bartolomey and Joseph know they have a long road ahead. They can still be denied asylum and face deportation back to Haiti.
“If that happens, I will try to emigrate somewhere like Canada if I can,” Bartolomey said. “I would love to return home, but not with things the way they are now.”
Joseph, on the other hand, is tired of running. The threats and abuse he has faced since 2018 have taken their toll. Everywhere, it seems, Haitians are treated the same.
“We have no leader, no one to protect us. It’s like a stray dog that runs into the street, any car can hit him,” he said.
Until their cases are decided, each plans to continue doing the best they can.
“I’m still trying to study, do my assignments, and fight — but it’s very difficult,” Charpentier said.
To their coworkers and neighbors, their message is a simple one.
“We aren’t thieves, we aren’t gangsters, we are decent people studying, working, and trying to build something like everyone else,” Joseph said. “Back home we don’t have that same opportunity. If we return to our country we may go to hell or heaven soon. We don’t know what will happen.”
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