Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump vowed on Friday to carry out mass deportations of Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, despite the fact that most of them are legally residing in the U.S.
The city has recently been at the center of a social media storm, fueled by false claims from right-wing agitators that Haitian newcomers were eating household pets.
“We will conduct large-scale deportations in Springfield, Ohio,” Trump stated during a press conference at his golf resort near Los Angeles.
Of the 15,000 Haitians living in Springfield, the majority are there legally. Trump’s usual focus on mass deportations primarily targets undocumented immigrants.
During the press conference, Trump did not repeat his controversial claim from Tuesday’s presidential debate with Democrat Kamala Harris that immigrants were eating dogs and cats, a remark that has since been widely ridiculed.
In response to the escalating situation, two elementary schools were evacuated, and a middle school in Springfield was closed on Friday following anonymous bomb threats, marking the second day of such threats, according to ABC News.
At the White House, President Joe Biden called for an end to the hostility against the Haitian community.
“This is wrong. It has no place in America. What Trump is doing must stop,” Biden urged.
The Biden administration in June extended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to hundreds of thousands of Haitians in the U.S., a long-standing program that shields legal immigrants from deportation and grants work permits. Haiti’s ongoing gang violence has displaced over half a million people, with nearly five million facing extreme food insecurity.
Trump has cited the unrest in Springfield as evidence for tougher immigration policies. While the arrival of Haitians has benefited the local economy, it has also strained social services.
“I’m furious about illegal Haitian migrants overrunning Springfield, Ohio. You’ve seen the chaos, haven’t you?” Trump said later that day at a rally in Las Vegas.
He went on to add, “I’m outraged by young American girls being raped and murdered by savage criminal aliens who enter our country illegally.”
Haitian community leaders across the country expressed concern that Trump’s rhetoric could incite violence and worsen tensions in Springfield.
“We need help, not hate,” Springfield Mayor Rob Rue told ABC News.
City officials have reported no credible evidence of pets being consumed, and Karen Graves, a city spokesperson, confirmed that while there have been no recent hate crimes targeting Haitians, some residents have fallen victim to “crimes of opportunity,” such as theft.
