A nonpartisan nonprofit is releasing a documentary about the influx of Haitian migrants to Charleroi, the rural Pennsylvania community referenced by both former President Donald Trump and Republican U.S. Senate candidate Dave McCormick after it was subjected to a 2,000 percent increase to its number of migrants.
The America 2100 nonprofit posted what senior advisor Nate Hochman said is a trailer for the upcoming release of a documentary about the small town “that’s been flooded with thousands of Haitian immigrants over the past two years.”
Featuring interviews with local residents and footage of Charleroi, the trailer explains the town’s population was declining since the 1980s due to the “collapse” of the steel industry in the United States, only to see a sudden influx of Haitian migrants under the Biden-Harris administration.
“Charleroi, PA is a working-class town of 4,000 people,” the nonprofit wrote in a post to the social media platform X. “In two years they’ve been overwhelmed by thousands of Haitian immigrants. Nobody seems to understand how they got there.”
Charleroi, PA is a working-class town of 4,000 people.
In two years, they've been overwhelmed by thousands of Haitian immigrants.
Nobody seems to understand how they got there.
We went to Charleroi to find out for ourselves. pic.twitter.com/jn5zWJwlx3
— America 2100 (@America_2100) September 23, 2024
America 2100 posted an excerpt of an interview with Charleroi Borough Manager Joe Manning, who the group said has defended the flow of Haitian immigrants.
Questioned over the concerns over social isolation caused by the influx of migrants, Manning told the nonprofit, “That’s kind of always existed. New York, you had Little Italy. San Francisco, you had China Town.”
“There were always these enclaves where immigrants would sort of build their own culture, stay with their own kind, practice their own cultural practices,” said Manning. “But in time that fades away, as their children grow to be Americans, pretty soon, they let go of the past and they let go of what their parents brought here and they’re as American as anybody.”
Charleroi, PA is a working-class town of just 4,000 people.
Over the past two years, it's been overwhelmed by Haitian immigrants.
Joe Manning, the Charleroi Borough Manager, has been a staunch public defender of the flood of immigration.
We sat down with him last week: pic.twitter.com/R3WmKpW2PF
— America 2100 (@America_2100) September 25, 2024
McCormick visited Charleroi last week to meet with residents affected by the anticipated closure of a glass plant, where he pledged he would “ensure that these Pennsylvania communities are not left behind.”
The Republican laid the blame for Charleroi’s dire circumstances on his opponent, the incumbent Senator Bob Casey (D-PA).
“It is all about leadership. Bob Casey has failed you every step of the way,” said McCormick during his visit. “Eighteen years in office, and he hasn’t done a thing. He talks a lot about manufacturing jobs, but he hasn’t done a thing that actually makes your jobs easier [and] makes it easier to keep great opportunities here in Charleroi.”
Trump referenced Charleroi during his rally in Indiana, Pennsylvania on Monday, where he stated, “In Charleroi, Pennsylvania, they’re seeing a 2,000% increase in population of their town, you know that, right? Has your town changed slightly?”
Charleroi Council member Larry Celashi reportedly clarified to WTAE 4 the statistic specifically applied to the town’s immigrant population, which the outlet noted now numbers at 2,500.
McCormick first highlighted Charleroi’s plight in mid-September, when the Republican declared, “Weak immigration policy is hurting Pennsylvania communities.”
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Charleroi, Pennsylvania” by America 2100.
