Haitians in Ohio fear for safety after Trump’s false claims
Haitians living in Springfield, Ohio say they’re on edge after Republican Vice President nominee JD Vance amplified false claims about immigrants there.
Indiana state Rep. Jim Lucas said he plans to file immigration-related legislation for the 2025 legislative session after a trip to Springfield, Ohio last weekend, the community at the center of former President Donald Trump’s false claims that Haitian immigrants are eating domestic cats and dogs in the city.
The Ohio community, which is just under a three-hour drive from the Republican lawmaker’s home of Seymour, has seen threats of violence against government offices, schools, hospitals and colleges following the presidential debate last week where Trump repeated those incorrect claims. His running mate, Ohio U.S. Sen. JD Vance, on a CNN program Sunday defended spreading the false rumor.
Springfield officials have publicly stated the claims about Haitian immigrants in the community are false and the city has not received any credible reports. Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine on a Sunday ABC program called Trump’s claims “a piece of garbage.”
Springfield, Ohio: ‘They’re eating the dogs’: Trump echoes false anti-immigrant rumor during debate
But Lucas told IndyStar Monday that he drove to Springfield to either “prove” or “dispel” the rumors circulating about the Ohio community, especially as Seymour also has a growing immigrant population. Seymour’s population has grown rapidly since 1990, with a 174% increase in Hispanic and Latino immigrants, according to a community economic study.
The state representative said the Springfield residents he spoke with over the weekend in Ohio were “sympathetic” to the Haitian immigrants in the community. Nobody Lucas spoke with in Springfield was aware of Trump’s false accusations of immigrants eating cats and dogs, he said.
“The one issue that everybody’s trying to make such a huge issue out of this is the pets being eaten,” Lucas said. “I think that is being used as distraction to take away from the larger problem of just the volume, the amount of people that are being dumped and flooded into these communities, overwhelming their social structures.”
Lucas, who has been the subject of past controversies and accused of making racist social media posts while serving in the Statehouse, faced criticism about the trip over the weekend on whether it was beneficial to Hoosiers, or Springfield residents, following last week’s debate.
“The last thing our neighbors in Springfield, Ohio need is another out-of-state politician coming to their town and continuing to stir the flames of divisiveness and hate,” Indiana Democratic Party Chairman Mike Schmuhl said in a statement to IndyStar.
What immigration bills would Lucas file?
Lucas, who has served in the Indiana House of Representatives since 2012, said he viewed similarities between the immigrant population growth in Springfield and Seymour.
He plans to meet with the attorney general’s office for guidance on immigration-related bills he can file during the 2025 legislative session. Lucas specifically said he wants to find ways to cut down on unlicensed drivers in Indiana.
“We need to make it more difficult for them,” Lucas said.
IndyStar asked Speaker Todd Huston’s office if he plans to include immigration among priorities for House Republicans in 2025, but did not receive a response prior to the deadline for this story.
Lucas is up for reelection in November and faces Democrat Trish Whitcomb, who told IndyStar Monday that how Lucas chooses to spend time away from the district is “up to him.”
“I understand that an influx of population puts a strain on existing systems, so I’m hopeful that I would be the one writing legislation,” Whitcomb said of Lucas’s plans for the 2025 session. “If I were, I would be lifting up communities that welcome newcomers. The economic engine that is driven by newcomers to our communities, especially in southern Indiana, has a positive impact.”
Indiana’s 2024 election is Nov. 5.
USA TODAY contributed to this story.
Contact IndyStar state government and politics reporter Brittany Carloni at brittany.carloni@indystar.com or 317-779-4468. Follow her on Twitter/X @CarloniBrittany.
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Publish date : 2024-09-16 23:21:00
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