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Haitian immigrant families in Springfield, Ohio, are reporting instances of harassment and threats to their safety due to the spread of racist lies by national conservative voices in recent weeks — including both members of the Republican presidential ticket and some statewide officials.
Trump made racist attacks against Ohio’s Haitian community, along the lines of accusations frequently hurled at immigrants and marginalized communities throughout history. It has been debunked multiple times by news agencies, which have noted that city officials cannot confirm a single instance of such incidents taking place in their jurisdiction.
The racist disinformation campaign against Haitians has gained steam in far right circles, both in Ohio and across the country. GOP vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance repeated the claim earlier this month on social media. During the presidential debate between Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Kamala Harris, Trump also peddled the lie, prompting debate moderators to fact-check him live.
Despite no verifiable truth to the claim, Trump decried ABC News for allowing its moderators to fact-check him, demanding the entire network be fired. He also repeated the lie the day after the debate.
In both instances, his words amplified the falsehood even further to a national audience.
According to a report from The Haitian Times, multiple families in Springfield have reported instances of harassment and threats due to the disinformation campaign, with some facing vandalism of their property. One resident, for example, told the publication that her car’s windows were broken and acid poured on its exterior overnight, following Trump’s words on the debate stage.
“We’re all victims this morning,” that resident said.
Some Haitian families have decided not to let their children go to school this week out of fear for their safety. Others were determined not to let the threats alter their daily lives. A number of families, however, are reportedly moving away from the city or are considering doing so.
Multiple city buildings also received bomb threats the day after the presidential debate, officials said. One local elementary school also received such a threat, prompting its closure. The threats reportedly included racist rhetoric toward Haitian families in Springfield.
Over the past four years, around 20,000 Haitian immigrants have settled into the city, where they were initially welcomed by businesses in the area that were short on workers. Most of Springfield’s Haitian residents are naturalized citizens in the U.S. or have temporary protected status due to federal recognition of violence in their home country.
Some — though certainly not all — Republicans have condemned the spread of the falsehood. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R), for example, has noted that there is “no evidence” to back up claims being made against Haitians living in the city.
But other Republicans are doubling down on the lie. State Attorney General Dave Yost (R), for example, said that racist residents speaking at city meetings — who have presented no evidence to suggest their claims are even remotely truthful — should be taken at their word.
“Why does the media find a carefully worded City Hall press release better evidence?” said Yost.
Notably, the attacks on Haitian immigrants in Springfield come as white nationalism and anti-immigrant rhetoric in the U.S. have heated up, with politicians on both sides of the aisle moving rightward on immigration policy in recent years. Just three years ago, photos of U.S. Border Patrol agents on horseback cracking their whips at Haitian asylum seekers made headlines — sparking outrage from immigration advocates, who noted that Biden’s use of Trump-era immigration rules to forcibly expel thousands of Haitian migrants fleeing political violence was not only cruel but illegal.
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