Donald Trump, the Republican presidential candidate had made a promise on Friday to conduct mass deportations of Haitian immigrants from the Ohio city of Springfield, even though the a lot of them are in the United States legally.
Ohio has been at the epicentre of a social media turmoil after right-wing agitators clamped down on its false claims that the Haitian locals were consuming household pets.
“We will do large deportations in Springfield, Ohio,” Trump was quoted to have said during a press conference at his golf resort close to Los Angeles.
It should be noted however, that Trump’s constant pledge to conduct mass deportations usually refers to those in the country unlawfully.
President’s Biden administration had prolonged a Temporary Protected Status to hundreds of thousands of Haitians in the United States in June, a decades-old program that secures legal immigrants from deportation and provides them with work permits. Gang wars in Haiti have unsettled more than half a million people and almost five million are at risk of severe food insecurity.
What They’re Saying
Trump has since cited the tensions in Springfield as another example of the need for stricter immigration polices. According to him, the surge of Haitians has increased the economy returns and strained the social services.
“I’m angry about illegal Haitian migrants taking over Springfield, Ohio. You see that mess, don’t you?” the Republican candidate had said.
“I’m angry about young American girls being raped and murdered by savage criminal aliens that come into our country very easily, but very illegally,” he added later in his speech.
Meanwhile, Haitian community leaders across the United States have said that Trump’s remarks could endanger lives and further complicate tensions in Springfield.
