Contrary to the vilification of Haitians by the Republican presidential and vice presidential candidates, Haitian immigrants are a role model. They start from coming from the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere to having a high employment rate and educational profile. These are a role model for assimilation of people from a very poor country.

Roughly 10% of Haitian born persons are now living outside of Haiti, and about half of them are in the United States (go here). Haiti is the poorest of countries in the Central American – Caribbean basin for immigrant labor in the U.S (go here). In 2000 there were 400,000 Haitian-born immigrants in the U.S. This number grew by 200,000 by 2010. the current figure is likely close to 900,000.  Counting for second and third generation Haitian immigrants, there are about 1.1 million persons of Haitian descent today.

Haitians in the U.S. have a relatively low incarceration rate – according to one estimate,  less than a quarter of that of all native-born Americans.

 

Haitian immigrants assimilate better than other immigration groups, evidenced by second and third generation Haitians having a higher educational profile than that of all U.S.-born persons. New immigrants start with low English proficiency and a high poverty rate. It takes several years for a large of recent immigrants to become proficient in English. When they do they have a very high employment rate.

(Note: the high educational status of latter generation Haitians: might the be due to the possibility that early immigrants 1970 – 1990 may have been well educated Haitians who managed to get to the U.S? their offspring may have continued with their patents’ educational pattern.)

Also go here.