Letters arrive from Haitian migrants

Her two daughters, now 29 and 18, are well past Globe Santa’s age. Never did Tropnas, now 55, think she would return to the holiday gift program, asking for help for a new generation of family members seeking stability in a foreign land.

This year, Globe Santa has received hundreds of letters on behalf of Haitian migrant families. The footage depicts families on the move, fleeing political unrest, natural disasters and widespread hunger. Newly settled families are looking for better schools, jobs, a safe home and, as shown in the picture, based on Globe Santa, an unforgettable Christmas for their little ones.

“The most humane thing is to help each other,” Tropnas said in an interview. “Whether it’s an immigrant or even someone who was born here, overall we just help each other out.”

The increase in letters from Haitian families is not surprising, given that thousands of new migrants arrived in Massachusetts within the last two years.

The Bay State is home to the third largest Haitian diaspora in America. About three in four arrivals to Massachusetts during the last federal fiscal year, which ended Sept. 30, 2023, were Haitian, according to state data. Office of Refugees and Immigrants.

A June press release from U.S. Representative Ayanna Pressley’s office said: more than 4,700 Haitians with temporary legal status reside in the state. The status allows recent arrivals to legally work or attend school. Biden Administration extended temporary protected status for Haitian migrants until February 3, 2026.

Many Globe Santa letters help explain the reasons why families settled in the United States. One is a fifth-grade English as a Second Language teacher near Boston who writes for a mother and daughter who cannot speak or read English. The teacher spoke about the work ethic of parents and their proven efforts to provide a better future for their children.

“Mom cares about their education and came to our open house,” the teacher wrote. “Mom is raising three children, and dad is trying to get a job here.”

The teacher, who declined to give his name due to concerns for the safety of students, said Christmas can be a difficult time for classmates who have just settled in the U.S. and may not have much money.

“When they come here and the kids are talking about buying a new Xbox, it’s really hard,” the teacher said. Thanks to Globe Santa’s donation, “my kids will be able to go back to school after the holidays and think, ‘Oh, I’ve got something too.'”

Tropnas is among those letter writers, asking for toys for her four-year-old nephew, whom she adopted in July this year “as the situation in Haiti worsens.” His mother died two years ago, and despite her limited finances as a school bus driver, she said she felt obligated to help. “I also spent a lot of my savings to make it possible for (him) to come to the US,” she wrote.

“The youth there really have no future, hope or opportunity,” Tropnas said.

She said she was impressed and amazed by her nephew’s interests. He loves building blocks. He will dance to anything, be it hip-hop or gospel. And he loves everything Spider-Man related. Globe Santa ensures that toys and books get to him for the holiday

“I would really like to give my nephew a real Christmas by unwrapping presents under the tree,” Tropnas wrote in her letter.

The fifth-grade teacher hopes the many letters sent to Globe Santa to Haitian migrant families this year will help the public introduce a part of the problem that is often overlooked: the stories of ordinary people who simply want the best for their children.

“The same people who would complain about people coming here might complain that they have to wait for Uber or wait for food to be delivered,” the teacher said. “Their parents work day and night to survive, and they work a lot harder than the people I think often complain.”

For 69 years, Globe Santa, a program of the Boston Globe Foundation, has provided gifts to children in need during the holidays. Please consider submitting by phone, mail or online at globesanta.org.

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Tiana Woodard can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her @tianarochon.