At the height of the presidential campaign, the subject of Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, was dominated headlines across the political conversation. What started out as an unfounded rumor spread by the likes of JD Vance and Elon Musk, quickly gained traction around the time of the first and only presidential debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, a moment in which the Republican infamously stated that Haitians were abducting cats and dogs and eating them in the aforementioned city.
Haitian communities across the country denounced the were being unjustly vilified and turbulence within Ohio escalated. Trump then escalated the matter, suggesting weeks later that not only were Haitian undocumented immigrants facing deportation if he reached The White House, those with legal permits would be targeted too.
