By Mel Wilson, NASW Senior Policy Advisor
The Haitian community in Springfield, Ohio, in recent weeks has found itself at the center of a storm fueled by baseless rumors and misinformation about the absurd notion Haitians were capturing and eating dogs and cats.
This unfounded claim soon spread on social media, resulting in a series of threats and harassment, leaving many Haitian residents fearful for their safety . This blog entry aims to shed light on the lead up to these events, explore the impact on the Haitian community, and discuss the broader implications for Springfield and all migrants of color across the country as they grapple with the fallout from these damaging falsehoods.
It is important to know that the “damaging falsehoods” did not happen in a vacuum. They are part of an intentional campaign to target and disparage the close to 20,000 Haitians who have lived in Springfield for the past five years. What is certain is that the threats and falsehoods are motivated by racial animus. The purveyors of the malicious anti-Haitian misinformation used language that they know would stoke pre-existing racial tensions in Springfield. The accusations included statement posted on the internet that said Haitians are “illegal immigrants,” were “dumped” on Springfield without the community being informed of the influx, are responsible for “skyrocketing” HIV and tuberculosis cases, have driven up housing prices, and of course that they’re stealing and eating the city’s geese and household pets. All of which is untrue.
The racial motivation of these acts is evidenced by the fact that it has been reported that Neo-Nazi groups. For example, a national Neo-Nazi group called Blood Tribe has taken credit for spreading false information with a specific objective of stirring racial conflict. In early September, Blood Tribe began posting rumors about Haitians in Springfield on racist websites The Neo-Nazi group posted their hate-filled diatribe —which included many racial epithets— falsely describing incidents where Haitians “eat the ducks out of the city parks.”
Downtown Springfield, Ohio
This is where national politics enters the picture in a very reprehensible way. After former President Trump’s terrible debate performance, he apparently needed a distraction. That distractionhas become the growing migration controversy involving an “invasion” of Haitians into Springfield, Ohio. Trump and his running mate J.D. Vance leapt into that conflict wholeheartedly. By highlighting the most salacious aspects of the rumors and infusing heavy racial imagery, the Trump/Vance campaign made a conscious decision to dangerously stoke racial tensions in the Springfield community for political gain.
Even when the mayor of Springfield and the Ohio governor – both Republicans – emphatically disputed the racist reports, Trump and Vance continued to stridently peddle bogus and inflammatory anti-Haitian nonsense. A direct result of Vance’s massive distortion of facts, many Springfield institutions – including hospitals and elementary schools – have received violent threats targeting members of its Haitian community.
The decision to scapegoat Haitian residents of Springfield is the height of cynical political opportunism. This was recently reinforced when Vance added more discordant energy to the issue when he said, “The media loves to say that the Haitian migrants, hundreds of thousands of them, by the way, 20,000 in Springfield, but hundreds of thousands of them all across the country, they are here legally.”
This too was a strategic falsehood designed to paint a picture of “dangerous” hordes of uncivilized Black people posing not only a threat to Springfield but the rest of America. The key words in the recent statement by Vance were “they are here illegally.” This phrasing is meant to rile up whites locally (and nationally), and eventually justify mass deportations similar to that found in Project 2025 .
This escalation by Vance was also strategically designed to stir up anger against Haitians by attaching the explosive term “illegal alien” to the image of Haitians being pet eating savages who, by the way, happen to be Black. This newest tactic had an additional, and more malicious intent, of expanding scapegoating not only to Springfield Haitians, but to all Black migrant throughout America, again with the objective of politically capitalizing on existing anti-immigrant sentiments.
In a recent speech on the topic, Vance doubled down on his distortions when he said “Well, if Kamala Harris waves the wand illegally and says these people are now here legally, I’m still going to call them an illegal alien…”
Not only was he openly seeking to exacerbate an already explosive situation, but Vance was fully aware that his untruths endangered the lives of thousands of innocent people in this country seeking asylum from rampant violence in their home country. To say that Vance lacks even a basic sense of compassion is a gross understatement.
The Distinction Temporary Protected Status (TPS) Designation as Legal Right
As was previously pointed out, the Trump-Vance campaign intends to weaponize the term “illegal aliens” in its attack on Haitians. Therefore, It is important that social workers and other who care about social equity fully understand that a vast majority of Haitians have been living in America for years and are currently in this country legally, covered by Temporary Protected Status (TPS).
TPS is a highly significant, long-standing policy created to respond to exactly for the situation that many Haitians find themselves in – the threat of death or severe physical harm if they are deported back to their country of origin.
That Springfield’s Haitians are in the United States legally cannot and should not be an issue. But the Trump-Vance campaign actually think by perpetuating their lies, they will gain a political clout. However, there are those who take the position that that the constant attacks on immigrants and the rising tensions in Springfield and around the country could be a net negative for Trump . We can only hope that the this deeply troubling and divisive strategy will fail.
Intersection of Racial Disparities in Treatment of Black Immigrants and Springfield
In many ways, the racially motivated harassment of Haitians in Springfield intersects with historic systemic racial disparities that plagued the U.S. immigration system for many years.
Numerous advocates for immigration reform advance the position that America’s immigration system was designed, from its inception, to keep Black immigrants out . These advocates go on to state that today’s immigration system – starting with the asylum process and detention centers and ending in immigration courtrooms – continues to make use of historical mechanisms for denying Black people entry to this country.
The intersection of Springfield and systemic discrimination against Black migrants can be found in an incident that occurred in the 1980s. At that time, the U.S. government sent its Coast Guard to block 23,000 Haitians fleeing Jean-Claude Duvalier’s repressive regime from reaching the U.S. border.
An abandoned boat used by Haitian migrants at Naval Station Key West. Photo from Library of Congress.
Of the 23,000 people who sought entry, only eight were granted asylum. This was completely contrary to our nation’s asylum law that says: In the United States, individuals have the legal right to seek asylum if they fear persecution in their home country due to race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion.
The Haitians in the 1980s traveled to the United States in overcrowded boats, had little food and fresh water, and were physically exhausted. Yet, the U, S. government – even for humanitarian reasons – prevented then from touching American shores knowing that if they did do, the government was required by law to grant them entry for an asylum hearing.
Other incidents of unequal treatment of Black migrants include being disproportionately arrested by police and convicted for minor crimes and receiving disproportionately longer sentences by judges. Black migrants are also more likely to be put in immigrant detention centers, detained longer than their non-Black counterparts, and six times more likely to be subjected to solitary confinement.
The disparate treatment of Haitians in Springfield and the scapegoating by politicians of migrants, and particularly Black migrants, has a long history. This underscores the need for Congress to pass comprehensive immigration (and migrant) reforms that include laws and policies that are devoid of racial biases.
In the meantime, the National Association of Social Workers and its allies in the immigration rights and human rights community will be uncompromising in its condemnation of Trump and Vance’s unconscionable disregard for upholding one of the primary tenets of America’s democracy – the guarantee of racial and ethnic equity and a commitment to protecting human rights.
