Oct 3, 2024 Story by: Editor
Former President Donald Trump stated on Wednesday that he plans to revoke the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) of Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio, and deport them if he is reelected in November.
“You have to remove the people, and you have to bring them back to their own country. They are, in my opinion, not legal,” Trump said in an interview with NewsNation. When asked if he would revoke their TPS, Trump responded, “Absolutely. I’d revoke it, and I’d bring them back to their country.”
Haitian migrants in Springfield have been at the center of misinformation campaigns spearheaded by Trump and his supporters. Many of these migrants arrived in the U.S. under a Biden-Harris administration program that allows vetted participants with U.S. sponsors to enter the country. Several also benefit from Temporary Protected Status, which shields them from deportation for a limited time, as previously reported by CNN.
Some of the migrants received TPS after the Biden-Harris administration expanded eligibility in June, while others have held the status from earlier periods. Pressed in the interview on what would happen if Haiti refused to take them back, Trump confidently said, “They will,” without offering further details. “Well, they’re going to receive them, they’ll receive them. If I bring them back, they’re going to receive them,” Trump insisted.
During his administration, the Department of Homeland Security sought to end several long standing TPS designations. In recent weeks, Trump has also spread conspiracy theories, including false claims that Haitian migrants in Springfield were eating pets, a rumor he repeated during last month’s presidential debate.
This misinformation campaign has sparked fear and led to over 35 threats of violence in Springfield between September 10 and 20, including bomb threats that caused evacuations of schools and supermarkets, lockdowns at hospitals, and remote learning transitions at local colleges, according to Springfield Mayor Rob Rue.
Rue, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, and other local officials have condemned these false claims as damaging to the community. A staffer for Senator JD Vance, Trump’s running mate, was informed by Springfield City Manager Bryan Heck that “there was no verifiable evidence or reports to show” the rumors were true, CNN reported.
The city of Springfield’s website highlights that around 12,000 to 15,000 immigrants live in Clark County, which has a population of 136,000, and that the Haitian immigrants are legally present. These Haitian workers are integral to Springfield’s economy, taking on essential jobs. DeWine acknowledged that the city faced challenges adapting to the influx of mostly Haitian immigrants, but he praised them as “positive influences” on the community in a recent interview. Source: CNN
