Latest Trump Haitian hate calls for action

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During the recent presidential debate, Republican nominee Donald Trump reached a new low with his divisive rhetoric. During one of his many off-topic rants, Trump doubled down on an absurd claim being spread on social media and embraced by GOP officials such as Texas U.S. Senator Ted Cruz and Trump’s vice-presidential running mate, Ohio U.S. Senator JD Vance.

Trump claimed that in Springfield, Ohio, immigrants from Haiti, which he had previously called a “sh-thole country,” were “eating the dogs …[and] the cats.” “They’re eating the pets of the people that live there,” the former president of the United States claimed. “And this is what’s happening in our country.”

Such a ridiculous, unhinged statement would almost be funny if it weren’t so xenophobic, anti-immigrant, and dangerous.

As a native of Ohio and an American of Haitian descent, I know these wild and false claims by Trump and others are nothing but xenophobic dog whistles. Trump’s comments come on the heels of his running mate making the same claims earlier in the week, during a campaign stop in Springfield itself. This type of rhetoric is unbefitting of any political candidate seeking office in America, let alone the nominees of one of the two major parties to be president and vice president.

Haitians have been residents of the state of Ohio dating as far back as the late 1950s. Haitian residents of Springfield have entered the U.S. lawfully and, like many immigrants, have come here seeking opportunities and the chance to achieve the American dream. From all accounts, these new residents in Springfield are working in factories and contributing in many ways to the economic revitalization of the region.

It’s worth noting that, after the attacks on the Haitian community by Vance and Trump, Ohio’s Republican governor, Mike DeWine, publicly spoke out in support of the new residents of his state and made it clear he had no intention of changing course.

“We have a long history in this country, throughout most of my life, maybe before, when we see a situation in a country that is dire, and we see people flee from that country or want to flee from that country,” DeWine was reported saying, adding: “I’m not against this program.”

It’s critically important to remember that these attempts to denigrate Haitians are both nothing new, and completely out of character with our community.

Haitians are descendants of freedom fighters who successfully battled for their liberation, becoming the second independent nation in the Western Hemisphere. In fact, soldiers from Haiti fought the British during the American Revolution, including in the Battle of Savannah in 1779. Haitians in America have built strong, thriving communities that include members of the armed services, renowned artists, distinguished sports figures, nurses and other important healthcare professionals, history-making elected officials on both sides of the aisle, attorneys general, and everyday hard workers from school janitors to factory workers to world-renowned physicians who help the nation, and Ohio, thrive.

Sadly, the vile aspersions cast on the Haitian community are echoes of similar false narratives that are still felt today. During the HIV/AIDS crisis of the 1980s and 1990s, Haitians were unfairly labeled as high-risk spreaders of the disease, which led to a bigoted position by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that barred Haitians from giving blood. Like today, these stigmatizing claims overlook the reality of the struggles that Haiti, like too much of the developing world, faces in favor of a biased attack on our communities that looks to alienate and divide.

Given what is at stake in the 2024 elections, it is vitally important for Americans of Haitian descent across the nation to organize and denounce this hateful rhetoric with their vote. Since the founding of the United States of America, immigrants have been an integral part of this country’s success and we should remember that this November at the ballot box.

Rose Pierre-Louis is executive director of the NYU McSilver Institute for Poverty Policy and Research ,where she leads a team of scholars, clinicians, researchers, policy experts, and other professionals who are committed to creating new knowledge about the root causes of poverty, developing evidence-based interventions to address its consequences, and rapidly translating their findings into action through policy and best practices.

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