Donald Trump claimed on Wednesday that if elected president he would revoke the the legal status of Haitian immigrants and send “them back to their country,” CNN reported.
During an interview with NewsNation, the former president, who continues to lie that Haitian immigrants are eating pets in Springfield, Ohio, affirmed his stance to a reporter who asked: “So you would revoke the temporary protected status?”
“Absolutely,” the former president responded, adding in the same breath: “Yeah, I’d revoke it and I’d bring them back to their country.”
Trump then falsely accused legal Haitian immigrants of destroying Springfield, Ohio, disregarding local officials and business leaders who say they have revitalized the once economically depressed town.
“Springfield is such a beautiful place. Have you seen what’s happened to it? It’s been overrun, you can’t do that to people. They have to be removed,” the GOP presidential candidate said.
Although many Haitian immigrants are protected under President Joe Biden’s humanitarian parole and TPS programs, which allows them to work and pay taxes, Trump and his allies continue to spread false information about them to “create a story,” as Sen. JD Vance put it, that can frighten voters.
In reality, it is these false claims that have endangered Springfield residents, leading to bomb threats and school shutdowns in recent weeks. Haitian immigrants say they also now live in fear due the former president's campaign against them.