In a time when some Americans have mixed feelings about immigrants, Joseph Sylvain, born in Haiti, praises America for all of his financial achievements. And he exalts the benefits of an open-door policy on immigration.
Sylvain, 46, came to America on Nov. 20, 1977. “I came to America to fulfill a dream list—seek a good job, good salary, economic freedom and freedom of speech,” he said. Sylvain, then 21, felt that America could help him fulfill his dream.
In Haiti, Sylvain said, freedom was under fire. President François Duvalier came to power in 1957. He brutalized the nation down through the regime of his son Jean Claude, or “Baby Doc,” Sylvain charged.
Sylvain’s daily life was affected by this climate. The Tontons Macoutes, Duvalier’s secret police, arrested and hit people for no specific reasons, Sylvain said. Some of his best friends were targeted. He believed that something could happen to him anytime.
“I wrote several letters to Dyel, my big brother, who has been living in this country since 1973, about my decision to leave Haiti for the United States of America,” said Sylvain.
Haiti’s economic situation was another factor that caused Sylvain to turn his eyes toward America. Sylvain was living with his parents on their farm when a drought destroyed their crops. With his source of income cut off, Sylvain said, he had less money for food and entertainment.
Dyel encouraged him to come to the United States and sent him money to complete all the documents requested by the U.S. embassy at Port-au-Prince, Haiti, for a visa. “I was in permanent unemployment in Haiti, and I depended on Dyel,” Sylvain said.
Sylvain left Haiti on Nov. 20, 1977. “It was my first foreign trip, my first airplane experience, and I felt glad, very excited when I finally landed in America,” said Sylvain. He said Dyel picked him up at Kennedy Airport, bought him a long gray coat and drove him straight to Irvington, N.J.
“My first impression,” Sylvain recalled, “was fantastic, regarding the view of American infrastructure—the expressways, the Lincoln Tunnel and the architecture of the houses.”
Sylvain said he joyfully breathed the air in America even though the weather was cold and snowy. To communicate, he needed to learn to speak the English language. He enrolled in West Side High in Newark to learn basic English and advanced math, and graduated with honors.
On Nov. 30, 1977, Cook and Dunn Paint Corp. in Newark hired Sylvain at the minimum wage of $2.50 per hour. It was his first job in America, and he was happy to have it. Dyel, who was a full-time employee, trained him.
“Immigration,” said Sylvain, “is a difficult journey, certainly full of vision but full of detours.” He left Cook and Dunn to make more money. In 1983, Dyel’s best friend told Sylvain that he could earn more as a taxi driver in New York. Sylvain went to drive a cab in New York City.
In 1986, he bought a taxi medallion for $100,000 with a loan from the Melrose Credit Union in Woodside, N.Y. The down payment was $20,000. “I took $14,000 from my own savings account, and I added it to another $6,000 in cash I received from Dyel.”
In order to save the $14,000, Sylvain said, he reduced and adjusted his spending. “I boycotted all expensive parties and clothes. I drove a good old American car for six years. I didn’t travel in airplanes for vacation or pleasure inside or outside the country,” said Sylvain.
In 1989, Sylvain bought a new house in Irvington after he refinanced the taxi medallion. He again refinanced the medallion and then bought two additional medallions in Newark. Today, Sylvain is a taxicab owner in Newark and New York City. Two years ago, he stopped driving and hired other drivers to drive his four taxicabs.
In 1998, Sylvain enrolled in Essex County College, majoring in business administration. He is scheduled to graduate this year. He also earned a real estate license in 2000.
Sylvain is now working as a part-time real estate agent in a business office in Irvington, “My wife and my three children now can enjoy my presence more than ever,” said Sylvain.
“That happens only in America,” he joked. Sylvain is now an American citizen. He visits Haiti but will spend the rest of his life in America.
Pierre A. Louis is a student at Rutgers-Newark.
