Florida Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick warned that former President Donald Trump and running mate JD Vance’s lies about Haitian immigrants in an Ohio town could “absolutely” lead to anti-immigrant violence,
Dem. Cherfilus-McCormick, the sole Haitian-American representative in Congress, told Victor Blackwell on CNN’s “First of All” on Saturday morning that the rhetoric was dangerous.
“My first reaction was just pure disgust and disdain,” Cherfilus-McCormick said, adding that the ex-president and JD Vance “are fully aware” that Haitians in Ohio are in the U.S. legally on Temporary Protected Status. “For him to say that they are committing crimes and stealing pets is a big lie.”
Trump, who railed against the community and claimed that they were “eating the dogs” in front of nearly 70 million Americans during the presidential debate earlier this week, doubled down at a press conference on Friday and dismissed the idea that his hateful rhetoric could contribute to violence, instead vowing to deport the legal Haitian immigrants to Venezuela.
“It’s really rooted in racist stereotypes that we’ve heard decades before,” she said. “Words have actual real meanings, and they have actual real results. And this is exactly it. What Donald Trump is doing right now is really trying to be divisive, this is his one tool.”
The Congresswoman said the danger towards Haitian immigrants wasn’t limited to Springfield, whose non-Haitian residents have also condemned the barrage of attacks against the immigrant community.
“We’re feeling the combativeness, we’re feeling the death threats,” Cherfilus-McCormick said, adding that she’s “hearing that from people all across the country.”
The increasingly inflammatory language from Trump and Vance has already inspired a number of bomb threats in Springfield, as Rupert Murdoch-owned tabloids attack Haitian immigrants with front-page coverage of minor traffic incidents.
“Our children now are at risk going to school,” the Haiti Caucus co-chair said, adding that she was planning to visit the Haitian community in Springfield.
