Miami.— On September 10th, during the presidential debate between Donald Trump y Kamala Harrisa moment occurred that became a national controversy. In front of millions of viewers, Trump, the Republican candidate, claimed that in Springfield, Ohio, Haitian immigrants were “eating dogs and cats.” With this statement, the former president unleashed a media storm that intensified the already tense situation in Springfield and other Haitian communities in the United States.
Even yesterday, the former president promised “mass expulsions” in Springfield, in a conference in which he pretended not to know that many of those migrants have a residence permit.
The President Joe Biden He said: “The Haitian American community is under attack in our country right now. It is wrong. There is no place [para eso] in USA“What you are doing has to stop, it has to stop!”
Read also: Trump ‘has to stop’ attacks on Haitian migrants: Biden
Yesterday, after the lies that Trump has repeated, bomb threats forced the evacuation of schools and government buildings for the second consecutive day in the Ohio community. The buildings were evacuated and the authorities They searched the area with explosive-detecting dogs, they reported. officials.
In Ohio, where they reside between 12 thousand and 15 thousand Haitians In Springfield alone, the community faces a growing climate of hatred and mistrust.
According to data from the city of Springfield and Ohio, Haitians have been instrumental in the economic revitalization of that area, filling job vacancies in key sectors such as manufacturing and services, especially after the pandemic. Covid-19. Hence, the rumors and the extremist stance that Trump expressed in the presidential debate “have done nothing but feed an attitude of exclusion and criminalization; this puts immigrants in general at risk, not only Haitians, but even breaks the harmony of the social cohesion in the city, but also in the state [de Ohio] and the whole country,” explains the Haitian American Foundation for Democracy (HAFFD).
At the national level, Haitians have contributed significantly to the economic fabric and cultural of the United States, with more than 1.1 million of Haitians living in the country, the majority in Florida, New York y MassachusettsHowever, hateful actions promoted by extremist groups like Blood Tribe threaten to undo decades of integration and effort.
Read also: Trump’s false rumors about Haitians spark bomb threats in Ohio
Local leaders, such as Karen Graves, Springfield’s Strategic Relations Manager, have made clear that there is no credible report confirming what Trump said. In addition, the lawyers representing Haitian immigrants have reported that their clients are deeply affected, even considering moving out of fear of retaliation or discrimination. Haitian community In Ohio, he has sought to defend himself by clarifying that the accusations are not only false, but are also extremely damaging to his reputation and safety.
Some leaders have called for a more humane and respectful approach, noting that the Haitians who have arrived in Springfield are hard-working people, many with college and professional training in medicine, law and business, among others.
Message fueled by extremists
The narrative that Trump repeated, according to multiple reports, had already been fueled by Blood Tribe, a neo-Nazi group led by Christopher Pohlhaus, also known as Hammer in the extremist circles.
Read also: Father of boy killed in Haitian migrant crash asks Trump to stop mentioning his son
“These posts, full of racial slurs and conspiracy theories, gained a lot of space on extremist networks and unfortunately found an echo in Trump’s statements during the debate,” HAFFD told EL UNIVERSAL. Pohlhaus has even urged his followers to harass local officials, such as Springfield Mayor Rob Rue. Immediately after the debate, Pohlhaus took credit for Springfield’s story reaching the national stage. The content about Haitians was also promoted by JD Vance, who is running with Trump on the presidential ticket.
Haitian families in Springfield were forced to keep their children at home for fear of violent attacks. Some reported acts of vandalism against their property, such as cars with broken windows and hate graffiti. Community leaders like Viles Dorsainvil of the Haitian Community Help and Support Centerexpressed concern about the growing insecurity their community faces.
Read also: Republicans falsely accuse Haitians of stealing and eating pets; urge to vote for Trump
Viles Dorsainville, in a public statementnoted that “some Haitians have stopped leaving their homes out of fear. Others have chosen to keep their children out of school. These types of rumors have increased insecurity for our community.”
In addition, some members of Haitian society have sought psychological support to cope with the stress and fear generated by the attacks y threats.
The presence of neo-Nazi groups like Blood Tribe in Springfield was not new. Months before the debate, “these extremists organized anti-immigrant marches in the city, waving swastika flags and hurling racial slurs at Haitians,” HAFFD confirmed to this newspaper, which immediately denounced the comments promoted by Trump and Vance; it stated that “this fear-mongering puts vulnerable communities at risk and encourages hate crimes.” Tessa Petit, executive director of the Florida Immigrant Coalition, condemned the Republican’s statements, “the lies that Donald Trump is spreading are deeply racist and dangerous. They are putting thousands of Haitians living in Ohio and immigrants across the country at risk.”
