Mexico, like many Latin American countries, has longstanding ties with Haiti and its people. Over the decades, Mexico has attracted Haitians to its medical schools and seasonal labor, and hosted Haitians for an array of technical training, diplomatic and social-cultural exchanges, including football matches. In recent years, as United States immigration rules have repelled many migrants making their way to America, thousands of Haitians have opted to stay in Mexico instead.
Now, with Mexico’s President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum Pardodue to take office on October 1 — and the U.S. limiting the number of asylum seekers allowed into America as of June 5 — her tenure will most certainly impact Haiti and Haitians. Following are some key facts about Haiti and Mexico’s countries, ranging from diplomatic ties to migration policy to the emerging group of Mexican-Haitians living there permanently.
Mexico-Haiti ties
In 1816, Mexican General Martín Javier Mina y Larrea traveled to Haiti to gain support for Mexico’s independence from Spain. Haiti hero Alexandre Pétion, still waging war against slavery in the hemisphere, dispatched Haitian troops in 1816 to Texas for the liberation effort. Even earlier, in 1812, about 200 Haitians sailed to Texas to fight Spanish rule and slavery.
Haiti and Mexico, a country now of 130 million, established diplomatic relations as far back as 1882. In 1934, Mexico opened a diplomatic office in Port-au-Prince, which was elevated to an embassy in 1943. That same year, Haiti reciprocally opened its embassy in Mexico City.
Bilateral trade between the two countries was worth $81 million in 2013. Mexico’s major exports to Haiti include wheat groats, textiles and electric accumulators.
Mexico has supported Haiti through educational initiatives, bringing Haitian students to various universities, particularly the medical school in Guadalajara during the Duvalier years. Most recently, between 2013 and 2015, the Mexico-Haiti Special College Scholarship Program provided 300 scholarships to Haitian students, helping them pursue higher education in Mexico across various fields, notably medicine, history, anthropology, psychology and sociology.
One notable example of cultural collaboration is the Haitian stamps and paintingsexhibition at Mexico’s Postal Museum that showcases Haiti’s historical architecture, religions and spirit.
Sports, particularly soccer, is a powerful medium for cultural exchange through Concacaf and other football memberships, helping athletes and fans learn about each other’s cultures and strengthen national bonds.
Haitian migration through Mexico
Bordered by the U.S. to the north and by Guatemala and Belize to the south, Mexico serves as a thoroughfare for people and goods moving between Latin America, the Caribbean and North America and even some who fly there from farther parts to then continue to America.
Haitians are among the convoys that travel from South and Central America, through the infamous Darien Gap, after living in places like Chile and Brazil or flying to Nicaragua. For most, that means staying in points of first entry like Tapachula to be processed. As a result, Haitians in Tapachula have grown in number considerably.
As more Haitians have made their way through Mexico, the country has opened refugee camps for those waiting to file asylum with U.S. authorities.
In September 2021, as thousands of Haitians built encampments in Del Rio, Texas, Haiti opened consular offices in Chiapas and Tabasco to assist with voluntary returns to Haiti. Also in 2021, Mexico issued 41,409 humanitarian visas to Haitian asylum seekers, allowing them to stay and work in Mexico.
As of 2023, Haitians were among the five major nationalities to receive resident permits on humanitarian grounds in Mexico, according to the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. About 36,000 permits were issued to Haitians that year, compared to 858 in 2019.
Mexican-Haitians in Mexico
Nearly 7,000 Haiti-born residents were living with authorization throughout Mexico in 2021, mostly in Baja California, Tabasco and Veracruz. Counting all people of Haitian descent across generations, the estimated Haitian population in Mexico is reportedly closer to 72,000.
Haitian labor in Mexico represents a significant and growing aspect of the country’s labor market, particularly in border cities and key industries, notably construction, agriculture and services.
Since 2019, Haitians have been among the five nationalities to receive the most work permits in Mexico on humanitarian grounds. In 2019, 858 permits were issued to Haitian nationals. In 2023, the number increased to 36,000.
Many Haitians in Mexico actively seek more inclusiveness in the larger Mexican society. Some have challenged systemic discrimination that Afro-Mexicans and indigenous populations often face, aiming for policies recognizing their rights and dignity.
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