15 years after the Haiti earthquake, a survivor struggles to make the United States his permanent home

MIAMI – As the 15th anniversary of the devastating 2010 earthquake in Haiti approaches, new fears are emerging for survivors who have sought refuge in the United States and sought treatment.

Among them is Peterson Ixias, who was just nine years old when the earthquake struck. He vividly remembers the day his apartment collapsed while he was watching TV with his brother in Haiti.

“Everything started shaking, and we watched the TV fall,” he recalls. “He ran and jumped on the bed, but I tried to get to him, and then the whole building collapsed. I was stuck. My left side was pinned to the bed while the rest of my body was free.”

Ixias remained trapped under the rubble for four days. For the first two days, he could still hear his brother, but the mysterious conversations eventually stopped.

Haitian officials estimate that the earthquake killed more than 315,000 people and injured 300,000 others.

Ixias was among those injured and transported to Miami for treatment. He underwent 16 surgeries, mostly on his head, to rebuild the damage.

“Part of my earlobe completely fell off, and my cheek had to be reconstructed,” he explained. “My head is covered in scars where they had to patch me up.”

Today, the scars are still visible, but Ixias has rebuilt his life in Miami.

He now works at Nicklaus Children's Hospital, where he received treatment as a child. Despite the progress he has made, his future in the United States remains uncertain.

Ixias has residency in the United States, and his mother is here under Temporary Protected Status (TPS). However, the possibility of deportation looms.

He said: “I don't do anything that might get me into trouble with the authorities because I always feel afraid.” “I'm always in danger.”

Ixias has not seen the eight siblings he left behind in Haiti since the earthquake. Although he longs to visit, he fears deportation.

“Everything I hear about Haiti is bad,” he said. “It's not the Haiti I knew. It's not the Haiti I want to go back to.”

Ixias dreams of becoming an American citizen and working as a nurse to help children like him. He briefly attended the University of Florida but was classified as an out-of-state student, making the tuition unaffordable.

“Even though I live in Miami, they register me as out of state, and the fees are very high,” he said.

For now, Ixias is determined to stay in Miami, a place he calls home, and continue working towards his goal of becoming a nurse.

Tanya Francois

Tanya Francois returned to CBS News Miami in November 2022 as Executive Producer Impacting Communities, or EPIC.

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