Numerous articles have appeared about the possibility of bringing Haitian children or injured Haitians to Florida for recuperation. An article also said that illegal Haitian immigrants would be given an 18 month waiver to "get a job legally". Here in Lake County, several compassionate organizations are sending food to Haiti and working on other projects to help Haitians recover from their recent Hurricane. And a local Church in Umatilla is said to be bringing in up to 200 Haitian orphan babies for recovery while a search continues for their parents. But, there is an unintended consequence for such activities as described below...
The US and Floridians I have seen in Florida are very compassionate - there is no doubt about that. But I would like to provide an example of the effects of too much compassion.
I moved here in 2006 from California, and a major reason is that it is now over 50% immigrants - many are legal, and many are illegal.
But back when the Vietnam war ended, some churches in Orange County, California acted as sponsors for many Vietnamese Boat people who were escaping from Vietnam when the US bailed out. The Curches brought the Vietnamese to Garden Grove, in Orange County, a nice, middle class community with many homes built during WWII and through the 1950's. Many people who formed the Aerospace industry and later Disney Land, lived there. But, so many Vietnamese were brought to Garden Grove, California that NOW, the entire city is Vietnamese. Vietnamese who were granted Visas and were "legal" filled the lower income areas first and using immigration laws, brought their grandparents into the country. The grandparents and parents would not learn english, but they were considered low income, and thus eligible to get free "SSI" income which is from the Social Security fund. Then they pooled the income together and bought houses, but maybe 10 people might be living in one house, and later, several cars on the street and lawns. Most of the signs on the businesses there are now in Vietnamese, and Garden Grove Vietnamese have now expanded into the nearby towns like Fountain Valley (where I lived). A number of Vietnamese bought a house ($350,000 average cost) next to my sister, and most did not speak English. My sister moved 80 miles away because she believed that since some living in the house were illegal, and they were already parking four cars in the driveway and on the lawn, that they would not call the Fire Dept or Police if anything happened in the neighborhood.
During one of the California recessions, I sold remodeling services in the area, including Garden Grove, and it was not uncommon to find four people on the ownership documents for the house, including relatives in other countries. Maybe half did not speak English, and both sets of parents were living on SSI.
So, Lake County residents should be aware that Compassion is good, but if you create a magnet situation to attract immigrants to Lake County, using School Resources for translators, etc and bringing in more people who cannot pay for Hospital services, etc., it could result in being the hub for growth like Garden Grove, California. Visit Kissimmee, if you want a local example, where a local developer marketed homes in Puerto Rico, and now that town has many people that don't speak English.
A better way may be to continue to provide compassionate contributions, but keep the Haitians in Haiti, and not in Florida. Or, beware of how you might change the future of Lake County.
vj
Below is today's article
Lake County Schools could be a refuge for students evacuated from Haiti
LARRY ELL - from Daily Commercial Jan. 28, 2010 HERE
Staff Writer
TAVARES - As more and more Haitian refugees are evacuated from their broken homeland, many are ending up in Florida. Included in the exodus are families and orphaned children who will need to attend school once they get settled.
For those who end up in Lake County, School Superintendent Susan Moxley says her district is prepared for their arrival, even if the influx so far has been limited.
"We have seen some enrollments come because family members live in our area," Moxley said. "So we've only seen family members come to live with other family members who are already here."
Aside from those with ties to Lake County, there could be a greater number on the horizon as the massive rescue and recovery effort continues in Haiti. To avoid being caught off guard by an unexpected surge of new students, school officials say they're trying to stay on top of the latest developments.
"We maintain communication because we know a lot of community agencies have opened up opportunities for some of the children from Haiti to come," Moxley said. "They have not arrived yet, but we anticipate we will get some."
In addition to finding the classroom space for the potential new arrivals, other concerns for the district staff are dealing with possible language barriers and cultural differences. But whatever the challenges, the welfare of the child will be foremost in the planning process.
"We are working with any of the agencies that have contacted us and indicated that they will be receiving some children. So we're working on looking at when the children arrive, how are we going to assess where they are academically and what their needs are," Moxley said. "So, when we get a phone call that we have children in Lake County that have come from Haiti, we'll be prepared."