Haitians in Spring Valley denounce former President Trump's comments about migrants
Organizers of the event at Spring Valley Memorial Park said they will correct the misinformation being spread by the Trump-Vance campaign.
More Stories
Spring Valley's Haitian community held a rally Sunday to speak out against former President Donald Trump's comments about Haitian migrants.
Organizers of the event at Spring Valley Memorial Park said they will correct the misinformation being spread by the Trump-Vance campaign.
The community response came from Haitians in Spring Valley who are angered by Trump's comments during September's presidential debate.
“This is what’s happening in our country. And it’s a shame,” Trump said at the presidential debate with Vice President Kamala Harris after repeating the falsehoods about Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio eating people’s pets. When challenged by ABC News moderator David Muir over the false claims, Trump held firm, saying “people on television” said their dogs were eaten, but he offered no evidence.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, denounced the debunked rumors and said during a news conference last month that dozens of members of the Ohio State Highway Patrol would be stationed in city schools following a series of threats across the city.
Recent statements made by Vice Presidential candidate J.D. Vance also have drawn anger, suggesting that Haitian migrants with legally protected immigration status are illegal aliens who could face deportation under a Trump administration.
Chants of "Haitians do not eat cats and dogs" could be heard from the crowd.
Spring Valley boasts the second largest Haitian population in the U.S., second only to "Little Haiti" in South Florida.
Former Spring Valley Mayor Demeza Delhomme pushed home the point.
"Mr. Trump was told numerous times by the governor, by the mayor. He kept saying it. He is using us as a guinea pig, that's not fair. The rest of the world should know. That's what this rally is about," he said.
AP Wire Services contributed to this story.
