There is a large Haitian diaspora in Mexico. According to a 2021 report, there are approximately 71,559 Haitian-born people living in Mexico.
History
An amount of Haitians moved to Mexico during the presidency of
François Duvalier
François Duvalier (; 14 April 190721 April 1971), also known as Papa Doc, was a Haitian politician of French Martiniquan descent who served as the President of Haiti from 1957 to 1971. He was elected president in the 1957 general election on ...
in the 1970s, and relocated to
Mexico City
Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...
and other cities.
After the
2010 Haitian earthquake
A catastrophic magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake struck Haiti at 16:53 local time (21:53 UTC) on Tuesday, 12 January 2010. The epicenter was near the town of Léogâne, Ouest department, approximately west of Port-au-Prince, Haiti's c ...
, 324 Haitians relocated to Mexico via a Mexican naval ship from January 12 to late April 2010. According to the National Migration Institute (INM), each Haitian would be granted a "humanitarian visa", allowing them to work and study in Mexico, use public services, and travel to and from the country. The Haitians settled primarily in Mexico City,
Pachuca
Pachuca (; ote, Nju̱nthe), formally known as Pachuca de Soto, is the capital and largest city of the Mexican state of Hidalgo. It is located in the south-central part of the state. Pachuca de Soto is also the name of the municipality of whic ...
, and
Monterrey
Monterrey ( , ) is the capital and largest city of the northeastern state of Nuevo León, Mexico, and the third largest city in Mexico behind Guadalajara and Mexico City. Located at the foothills of the Sierra Madre Oriental, the city is anchor ...
. Most of the Haitians who moved after the earthquake had relatives who were already living in Mexico.
Haitians, as well as other migrants, took up residence in
and Mexicali, Baja California and several other Mexican cities seeking entry to the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. According to the top immigration official in the state of Baja California, in a span of a few weeks in May and June 2016, stated that a large amount of the migrants arriving in Tijuana came from Haiti, but claim they are from African countries with which Mexico lacks diplomatic relations, in order to avoid being deported by Mexican authorities.
In September 2016, United States ended the entry of Haitian migrants as refugees. Many trapped Haitian migrants reluctantly stayed in Mexico settling either in Tijuana or Mexicali rather than attempt to cross into the United States or return to Haiti. They were issued temporary resident cards and the CURP tax identification numbers. The Haitian community has settled in the Divina Providencia neighborhood of the city.
Demographics
There are 940 Haitian-born people living in Mexico, as of 2010, according to the
OCED
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD; french: Organisation de coopération et de développement économiques, ''OCDE'') is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental organisation with 38 member countries ...
.
In 2017, there were approximately 5,000 Haitian-born people living in Mexico, primarily in the border region with the United States.
See also
*
Haiti–Mexico relations
*
Afro-Mexicans
Afro-Mexicans ( es, afromexicanos), also known as Black Mexicans ( es, mexicanos negros), are Mexicans who have heritage from sub-Saharan Africa and identify as such. As a single population, Afro-Mexicans include individuals descended from both ...
References
{{Haitian diaspora
Ethnic groups in Mexico
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...