Several Haitian-Americans in Fairfield County are calling for a series of boycotts by immigrants during the holiday season to highlight the economic contributions of immigrants, especially in Connecticut.
Guy Bocicaut, who built a successful realty business in Norwalk, says a boycott and a nationwide general strike where immigrants refuse to work for a day is a potent tool to show the rest of the country how their absence impacts the economy.
“You can talk all you want, but, if you really want to be heard, you have to take action that affects the other party's wallet,” Bocicaut said.
Bocicaut said he wanted to take action after months of what he characterized as xenophobic attacks against immigrants, including Haitian Americans, most prominently during the 2024 presidential election.
“As of late, the word immigrant is almost synonymous with enemies of the United States,” he said.
Bocicaut, who is also the president of the Haitian American Professionals Association of CT (HAPAC), is spearheading the effort. He is seeking support from immigrant rights advocates throughout the state.
It is one of a growing number of general strikes and boycotts across the country against the federal government, and widely criticized federal deportation efforts. Bocicut said the strike takes inspiration from his own cultural heritage as well as the American Civil Rights Movement.
He said there is a difference between enforcing immigration law and persecution and demonization of immigrants.
"What we are seeing now is the latter," Bocicaut said.
The plan, according to Bocicaut, includes four actions. The first is a one day general strike on November 18, marking the Battle of Vertières Day. Immigrants, he said, are advised to refuse to work on that day. It was the final battle between Haitians and the French, which led to Haiti’s Independence.
Bocicaut is also asking people not to participate in shopping on Black Friday and Cyber Monday. He is also urging participants to limit or defer buying Christmas gifts.
Bocicaut spoke at his offices in Norwalk in mid-July, and artwork of Haitian revolutionary leaders adorned the walls.
But he also has posters of Wall Street and explained the importance of the strike and boycotts using American popular culture, referencing the films Robocop and A Bug’s Life.
The strike reflects his heritage but also how much he has bought into the country’s values.
“Another way I can put it, Haiti is my mother, America is my wife, so I have an obligation to protect both of them,” Bocicaut said.
He is also calling on business owners and others to participate by publicly affirming their support for immigrants and advocating for immigration reform. He emphasized the boycotts were not attacks on businesses.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal said he has not heard of any plans for a general strike but is in regular contact with members of the community. He highlighted the challenges many are experiencing with federal threats to the Temporary Protected Status program which allowed many Haitians to migrate to the United States.
Haiti has experienced years of political instability and violence. He declined to say if he would support a future general strike.
Dan Onofrio, CEO and president of the Bridgeport Regional Business Council, the chamber of commerce for Bridgeport, Stratford and Trumbull, said many local businesses continue to communicate their values, but expressed reservations over potential impacts to holiday shopping.
While Onofrio said he hasn’t heard of any widespread local challenges, he said possible price increases due to tariffs coupled with a boycott could end up hurting small businesses during what is widely considered the most lucrative shopping season of the year.
“Our retailers employ a lot of people, and if they have to make adjustments to that, those things could have a negative impact on not just the businesses themselves, but the people that they employ,” Onofrio said.
Onofrio said immigrants in Connecticut are a vital part of the state economy, and many immigrants in Connecticut work in the service and manufacturing sectors.
DataHaven, a nonprofit, issued a report earlier this year, and also said immigrants contribute $22 billion to the state economy in taxes and spending in 2023, citing American Immigration Council, a pro-immigration reform advocacy group which stated it got its data from the American Community Survey, part of the U.S. Census Bureau.
Fanel Merville is the executive director of the Center for Immigrant Development, Inc, based in Bridgeport which helps immigrants resolve their legal status. Merville, who is also working with Bocicaut said he wants businesses to participate due to their shared interests.
“These things are not to make them feel like we are targeting them, that we are against them, but rather to invite them to be part of this movement, to be part of this fight, which we think is a legitimate fight for the immigrant community,” Merville said.
