Trump employs more severe language to characterize Haitians in Ohio
On Friday, Trump reiterated his commitment, vowing that “the largest deportation in the history of our country” would “start with Springfield.”
TroibNews 
Former President Donald Trump escalated his rhetoric on Friday regarding Haitian migrants in Ohio, stating they are “destroying their way of life” and warning of potential mass deportations.
His remarks came as he and some allies, including his running mate JD Vance, asserted that Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio, are resorting to eating cats, dogs, and geese. This has provoked backlash from Democrats, including President Joe Biden.
“Illegal Haitian migrants have descended upon a town of 58,000 people, destroying their way of life,” Trump said during a news conference at his golf course in Southern California.
This focus on Haiti — the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere currently facing severe hunger and political turmoil — marks a shift in the migration dialogue, which usually concentrates on migrant movements across the southern border from Mexico and Central and South America. On Friday, Trump directed attention to migrants who arrived in the U.S. “right over the top of the border guards.”
According to the Associated Press, around 15,000 Haitian migrants have settled in Springfield in recent years, a phenomenon the town's mayor, Rob Rue, attributes to economic opportunities and a “housing boom.” Many residents in the predominantly white and blue-collar community express concerns that the influx has driven up housing prices.
“There is a culture clash, and we see it and we know it, but it’s just all hitting us from all levels, and the federal leaders who had the national stage did not help us solve this problem,” Rue commented Thursday on NewsNation.
Springfield officials have consistently refuted claims that Haitian migrants are consuming pets — ABC News moderator David Muir fact-checked Trump live during Tuesday’s debate — yet conspiracies about the migrants eating pets or using them for sacrifices continue to spread online, with some of these narratives pushed by a neo-Nazi group in the area, according to NBC News.
Rue admitted that the city is “dealing with an infrastructure strain due to this immigration influx,” but stressed that “under the current federal policy, they’re here legally.”
“As a community, we’re trying to embrace them,” he added.
The White House also addressed the situation on Friday, with Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, who is Haitian American, describing it as “extremely sad and concerning.” She mentioned that the Department of Homeland Security has been “directly engaged” with Springfield since the spring.
During a White House brunch celebrating Black excellence, Biden remarked that the Haitian American community is “under attack in our country right now.”
“It’s simply wrong. There’s no place in America,” Biden stated. “This has to stop, what he’s doing. It has to stop.”
Lucas Dupont contributed to this report for TROIB News
His remarks came as he and some allies, including his running mate JD Vance, asserted that Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio, are resorting to eating cats, dogs, and geese. This has provoked backlash from Democrats, including President Joe Biden.
“Illegal Haitian migrants have descended upon a town of 58,000 people, destroying their way of life,” Trump said during a news conference at his golf course in Southern California.
This focus on Haiti — the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere currently facing severe hunger and political turmoil — marks a shift in the migration dialogue, which usually concentrates on migrant movements across the southern border from Mexico and Central and South America. On Friday, Trump directed attention to migrants who arrived in the U.S. “right over the top of the border guards.”
According to the Associated Press, around 15,000 Haitian migrants have settled in Springfield in recent years, a phenomenon the town's mayor, Rob Rue, attributes to economic opportunities and a “housing boom.” Many residents in the predominantly white and blue-collar community express concerns that the influx has driven up housing prices.
“There is a culture clash, and we see it and we know it, but it’s just all hitting us from all levels, and the federal leaders who had the national stage did not help us solve this problem,” Rue commented Thursday on NewsNation.
Springfield officials have consistently refuted claims that Haitian migrants are consuming pets — ABC News moderator David Muir fact-checked Trump live during Tuesday’s debate — yet conspiracies about the migrants eating pets or using them for sacrifices continue to spread online, with some of these narratives pushed by a neo-Nazi group in the area, according to NBC News.
Rue admitted that the city is “dealing with an infrastructure strain due to this immigration influx,” but stressed that “under the current federal policy, they’re here legally.”
“As a community, we’re trying to embrace them,” he added.
The White House also addressed the situation on Friday, with Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, who is Haitian American, describing it as “extremely sad and concerning.” She mentioned that the Department of Homeland Security has been “directly engaged” with Springfield since the spring.
During a White House brunch celebrating Black excellence, Biden remarked that the Haitian American community is “under attack in our country right now.”
“It’s simply wrong. There’s no place in America,” Biden stated. “This has to stop, what he’s doing. It has to stop.”
Lucas Dupont contributed to this report for TROIB News
