Syrian Haitians

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Syrian Haitians are Haitians who have Syrian roots or Syrians who are Haitian citizens. Today there are about 200–230 of them in Haiti, mainly in Port-au-Prince, Pétion-Ville, and Cap-Haïtien. They speak French, Haitian Creole, and Arabic, and follow Melkite Greek Catholicism, Islam, or Judaism.

A small Syrian community has existed in Haiti since the early 1900s. There were about 500 Syrians, many of them traders, with some living in the United States. They controlled much of Haiti’s imports and wholesale trade, selling goods to the United States as well. This gave them lots of influence, which upset many Haitians and even contributed to uprisings against them.

The Syrian American merchants contacted the U.S. State Department for help with trade.

Haiti’s government began to restrict Syrian traders. They had to get licenses to import and sell, costing about $150 per year. Rules changed over time. In late August 1911, opposition parties and anti-Syrian sentiment helped elect a new president who banned Syrians from starting businesses and revoked their licenses. By December 9, 1911, Syrians could no longer import, and six months later they were expected to leave. Many Syrians had to migrate to survive. Of 114 Syrian traders who had licenses, 12 were Americans.