Augusta “Queen” Goll, a Liberian immigrant and owner of Queen’s Market in Charleroi, Pennsylvania, felt her enthusiasm for President-elect Donald Trump fell when he heard it disparaging Haitian immigrants on the stage of the presidential debate in September. Soon after, she targeted the Haitians in her small town – her main clientele. That his lies he continued to sting for weeksGoll, a Republican, decided she would vote across the aisle for vice president Kamala Harris.

But Goll, 43, changed his mind at the last minute, voting for the Republican candidate instead, a decision that aligned with the majority of Washington County voters.

” READ MORE: Immigrants revitalized little Charleroi. Then Donald Trump’s attacks brought in white supremacists and conservative influencers.

“I couldn’t do that to Trump,” she said. “I couldn’t swing that vote to the Democrat. i couldn’t.”

Despite her loyalty to the president-elect, Goll is still bothered by his comments about Haitians.

“I’m always going to be on the side of immigrants, because I’m an immigrant,” she said, adding that she hopes Trump prioritizes the economy over his tough immigration proposals, which she believes may be just campaign rhetoric.

“I leave it up to God,” she said. “As of now, there is nothing I can do. I know for sure that there is a greater percentage in my heart that Trump means very well for the country.”

It’s too early to tell be it Trump’s promise to deport Haitians which are currently protected with Temporary protected status will be played. But in the meantime, Charleroi is still feeling the impact of his remarks about his immigrant community, as well as the KKK flyer and white supremacist stickers that followed. Charleroi borough manager Joe Manning said the FBI is expected to attend a Pennsylvania Human Relations event on discrimination in the city, and a delegation from the Catholic Church has made plans to visit the community.

But in many ways, the community has simply gone silent on Trump highlighted the city in September. He felt even calmer the day after the election.

Luciano Janvier, 41, a graduate student at PennWest University, was focused on his homework that morning.

Janvier is Haitian and lives under temporary protected immigration status that Trump promised to end it for the Haitians. Janvier, a psychologist, said he fears Trump’s return to the White House because of such threats to Haitians, but he also understands why people didn’t want to vote for Harris, especially because of concerns about the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.

” READ MORE: Donald Trump wants to revoke the temporary protection status for Haitians. What would this mean for Pennsylvania?

Wearing sweatpants and a Steelers shirt, Janvier sat on the porch last wednesday one of the few people outside.

That Janvier spoke to The Inquirer, a neighbor, Richard Burgess, 53, came to take out his trash. The two men greeted each other. They have a neighborly relationship, they explained; Burgess helped Janvier fix a tire at one point, despite being in full recovery from knee surgery.

“He put his knee on the ground to fix my tire,” Janvier said. “It’s a big thing for me.”

Burgess, a Trump supporter with large American flags draped over his front porch, used to work in the coal mines and deliver for Amazon. He is now on disability.

“I help him, he helps me, there shouldn’t be any of that fighting nonsense” Burgess said.

Burgess, ca other Trump supporters, said he doesn’t agree with everything Trump says, but supports the president-elect’s policies and thinks they’re good for the economy.

Burgess said his street “used to be full of old white people” and “it’s changed a lot”. He said the immigrants don’t bother him, but some older locals are confused and worried about “a lot of young people of fighting age”, citing stories they hear about the “invasion of the country”.

“People don’t know if one day they’re going to turn against you, start fighting you, things like civil war,” he added.

But locals with those fears don’t talk to immigrants and don’t know them the way he does, Burgess said.

“If you’re good to me, I’ll be good to you,” he added.

“It’s the result of the election … and there’s nothing I can do about it”

On the rainy evening after the election, Getro Bernabe, Charleroi’s immigrant community leader, found himself on the city’s main commercial thoroughfare at a film screening hosted by Haiti Friends, a Pittsburgh organization.

A handful of people, none of whom appeared to be part of the local Haitian community, entered behind Bernabe, but most of the seats remained empty.

Bernabe, Janvier and other local Haitians leaders advised members of their community to keep a low profile in hopes of reducing tensions. Many people in Haitian the community remains concerned about their future in Charleroi – and the United States as a whole. But they also say there’s not much they can do but watch and wait, said Barnabas.

“They kind of accept it,” he said. “It’s the result of the election … and there’s nothing I can do about it.”

Manning, the neighborhood manager, said several events involving immigrants were canceled in the weeks leading up to the election, including a community street cleanup and a soccer game. Immigrant families kept their children home from the city’s Halloween celebration this year, he said, a stark contrast to a celebration organized by immigrants earlier this year. for the 4th of July, which also featured a Haitian band.

“I don’t know with the outcome of the election if that’s going to get worse or stay the same,” Manning said of the Haitians staying inside. “I suspect, given all the rhetoric leading up to Election Day, that probably the fear has doubled, now that what happened has happened and they are afraid of being deported or jailed … that’s pretty strong rhetoric.”

After waking up to the news of a Trump victory, Manning said that we walked around town and no one said a word about the results except for one person who said he was glad the election was over.