By Alexandra Ulmer, Nandita Bose and Gram Slattery
RANCHO PALOS VERDES, California (Reuters) – Donald Trump vowed on Friday to deport Haitian immigrants from the Ohio city of Springfield, even though most of them are in the United States legally.
The town has been at the center of social media for days after right-wing rebels seized on allegations that Haitian immigrants were eating pets.
“We’re going to deport a lot of people to Springfield, Ohio,” Trump said at a press conference at his golf course near Los Angeles.
Most of the 15,000 Haitians in Springfield are there legally. Trump’s long-standing promise to deport more people often refers to those in the country illegally.
Trump did not repeat what he said during the presidential debate on Tuesday with Mr. Kamala Harris saying that immigrants eat dogs and cats, which was a joke.
Two elementary schools were evacuated and one middle school was placed on lockdown in Springfield on Friday after bomb threats were made to the community for the second day in a row, according to ABC News.
At the White House, President Joe Biden called for an end to the attacks on the Haitian community.
“It’s just not right. It has no place in America. This has to stop – what he’s doing. It has to stop,” said Biden.
The Biden administration extended Temporary Protected Status to hundreds of thousands of Haitians in the United States in June, a decades-old program that protects legal immigrants from deportation and gives them work permits. Gang wars in Haiti have left more than half a million people dead and nearly five million facing severe food insecurity.
Trump cited the Springfield standoff as another example of the need for tougher immigration policies. The influx of Haitians has boosted the economy but also strained public services.
“I’m angry about the illegal Haitian immigrants taking over Springfield, Ohio. You see that mess, don’t you?” Trump said at a rally in Las Vegas, later on Friday.
“I am angry about the young American girls who are being raped and killed by brutal criminals who easily come to our country, but illegally,” he added later in his speech.
Haitian community leaders across the United States say the Republican candidate’s remarks could put lives at risk and fuel tensions in Springfield.
“We need help, not hate,” Springfield Mayor Rob Rue told ABC News.
City officials say they have not received any credible reports of anyone eating pets. Karen Graves, a city spokeswoman, said she was not aware of any recent hate crimes against Haitians but that some were victims of “opportunities,” such as property theft.
