Personal Safety Threats to Haitian Immigrants in Ohio
The Haitian immigrant community in Springfield, Ohio, USA, has been thrown into turmoil. This is due to a single remark made by former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, during the last presidential debate.
On the 11th (local time), major foreign media outlets including NBC News reported that Haitian Americans are living in fear and facing threats to their safety due to false claims made by former President Trump during his debate against Vice President Kamala Harris the previous day. At that time, former President Trump stated, "Haitian immigrants in Springfield catch and eat residents' dogs and cats."
Biles Doseinville, head of the Haitian Community Center in Springfield, lamented, "The way people treat us and the negative comments are worsening uncontrollably," adding, "Now we have to be careful wherever we go." The community center has been receiving threatening phone calls, and a friend working as an Amazon warehouse employee has even considered quitting due to the hostility directed at them.
The Haitian Times, which reports on Haitian immigrants, stated that after the TV debate the previous day, some Haitian residents in Springfield have stopped sending their children to school. It also added that racist expressions have been amplified through social networking services (SNS), causing residents to suffer from harassment and assaults.
Springfield officials have dismissed the claims, stating that they have not received any reliable reports of immigrants catching and eating pets. Karen Graves, spokesperson for Springfield City, explained, "We are not aware of any recent hate crimes targeting Haitian residents," but added, "However, some incidental crimes such as property theft have been confirmed."
These false claims against immigrants seem to be fueling dissatisfaction among some Springfield residents. Springfield, with a population of 58,000, has seen about 15,000 Haitian immigrants arrive over the past three years, which has made using facilities such as schools and hospitals more inconvenient than before, and rent has increased, causing some residents to gradually accumulate grievances.
Foreign media pointed out that tensions escalated last year when a car driven by a Haitian without a driver's license in Ohio collided with a school bus, resulting in the death of an 11-year-old child and injuries to 26 others. Nathan Clark, who lost his young son in the accident, appealed to former President Trump, saying, "Please stop the hate," and urged him not to use his son's death for political gain.
Foreign media noted, "The 15,000 immigrants from Haiti over the past three years have revitalized Springfield's labor market but have also brought various growing pains." According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there are about 1.1 million Haitian Americans living in the United States, about half of whom are immigrants. They have long settled mainly in Florida and New York but have recently been moving to places like North Carolina and California in search of jobs.
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