Pittsburgh-area Charleroi, PA residents face national media attention for growing Haitian population in their small town, as the country grapples with the ongoing immigration crisis.
Charleroi, Pennsylvania residents aren’t used to being at the heart of national media conversations, but that’s exactly where they now find themselves. As migrant influxes continue around the entire Midwest, and after the increased attention from last week’s Presidential debate, Charleroi’s growing immigration population – specifically its Haitian community – is now an everyday reality.
The small town, less than 30 miles from Pittsburgh, has seen a 2,000% increase in Haitian migrants since last year, a statistic first reported in March of this year, according to CBS News. “Charleroi, what a beautiful name, but it’s not so beautiful now. Has experienced a 2000% increase in the population of Haitian migrants under Kamala Harris.” The Former President was addressing a rally audience in Tucson, Arizona when he made the comments, more specifically referring to recent news that a glass factory in the community would be closing, costing the Pittsburgh Burrough more than 300 jobs. Some residents blame the increased costs associated with the migrant population growth as an underlying cause of the economic woes.
But residents are divided both on this increased scrutiny, and on the impact the migrants have on their daily lives.
“You can’t even walk through the town without being next to them or having them pester you about something,” said one life-long resident to CBS News this month. “It’s not really a problem, it’s just that they make you feel uncomfortable.” This resident isn’t alone in his assessment of the situation, or his trepidation around the migrants, but other residents made clear he doesn’t speak for all of them.
One local woman, herself born and raised in Charleroi, pushed back on her neighbors’ fears. “I believe there’s racism,” she said. “I’m sorry to say that about my hometown, but I don’t know what else to call it, to just blanket everybody is wrong.” But another resident, a local business owner, said he’s lost half his business to his downtown store, as some residents no longer drive where there are too many immigrants on the road, citing traffic safety concerns. He specified it’s not the immigrants themselves, but rather the huge number of them and language barriers that have caused the concern over driving in the downtown area.
The spotlight on Charleroi’s streets has led to back and forth of potential solutions among local officials and stakeholders. While the president of the Charleroi borough accused Former President Trump of exploiting the town’s struggles for “political purposes”, a borough councilman sought to cool the tension and focus on rebuilding the massive job loss from the closing of the Anchor Hocking Pyrex glass factory.
