Port-au-Prince, September 20, 2024.- For several days, Haitians living in Ohio, United States, have been targeted in a widespread hate campaign, alleging that Haitian immigrants in Springfield are consuming pets and wild geese from local lakes, thus claiming that Haitians are violating basic animal abuse laws.
Initially, a 35-year-old woman named Erika Lee claimed she heard the animal abuse rumor from a neighbor, who had, in turn, heard it from an acquaintance. Without verifying the validity of these claims, Erika Lee began posting the rumor on a popular Facebook group for Springfield residents, which caused it to spread rapidly across the country.
These false animal abuse claims gained further traction as the message went viral within hours and was exploited by the Republican Party during the electoral debate as an attack on the Biden/Harris administration’s border control and immigration policies.
This wave of sensationalism, like a domino effect, started a movement that quickly became a disinformation machine and conspiracy theory. For example, the unrelated stories of an American woman killing and attempting to eat a cat in Canton (275 km from Springfield) and a Black man walking with geese killed by a car in Columbus (77 km from Springfield) were falsely linked to immigrants. Neither incident occurred in Springfield, Ohio.
The rumor, mentioned by former president Donald Trump during the presidential debate on September 10, stated live on air that illegal migrants were eating dogs and cats in Springfield. However, major American media outlets, such as ABC News, NBC News, The Guardian, NewsGuard, and CNN, later debunked this rumor using fact-checking tools.
Erika Lee, who initially spread the rumor on social media, retracted her statement, admitting to NBC News that she had no idea the story was merely a rumor. She had not imagined that her post would evolve into a major political conspiracy theory and fuel hate speech against the Haitian population. JD Vance, the vice presidential nominee chosen by Donald Trump, admitted to CNN that he used the unverified animal abuse claim to draw media attention to the suffering of the American people.
An electoral context steeped in conspiracy theories and racial prejudices
The Republican Party is making every effort to destabilize the Democratic Party. The latter has faced heavy criticism for its foreign policy, particularly regarding the Biden/Harris administration’s involvement in the Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Hamas conflicts. In this charged electoral environment, the Democratic Party has also been criticized for its handling of the economy and immigration.
Joe Biden has already granted thousands of Ukrainian, Venezuelan, Cuban, Salvadoran, Nicaraguan, and Haitian migrants access to the United States under the humanitarian parole program, which aims to welcome refugees fleeing war. Ukraine and Haiti are the two largest beneficiaries of this program, with 178,000 Ukrainian refugees (as of February 2024) and over 180,000 Haitians having received travel authorization.
The humanitarian parole program allows beneficiaries to obtain work authorization upon arrival in the United States and access to a Social Security card. Furthermore, most Haitian migrants currently benefit from Temporary Protected Status (TPS), a designation granted by the U.S. government that shields them from deportation.
The Republican Party has expressed frustration with the CBP One program, which was launched for foreigners seeking to cross the southern U.S. border through Mexico at checkpoints in Arizona, Texas, or California. Their attacks on immigration management are aimed at accusing Democrats of providing immigrants with free access to the country.
In their bid to win public opinion, Republicans have redirected their efforts toward a campaign of hate against Haitian migrants, mobilizing the racist segments of the population and the descendants of old colonialist families who still refuse to coexist with Black people. Haiti, as the first Black republic in the world, symbolizes freedom, so attacking Haitians is seen as an attack on Black people.
Meanwhile, attention turned to Donald Trump on July 13, when he was targeted in an assassination attempt in Pennsylvania. Trump was shot in the ear, then pushed down and evacuated by Secret Service agents. The alleged shooter, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, a young white man from Pennsylvania, was killed, along with a spectator, while two others were injured. This incident marked a turning point in Trump’s election campaign.
Strangely, another alleged assassination attempt against Donald Trump was revealed by the Secret Service on September 15. Agents opened fire after spotting a person armed with an AK-47 near the golf club where Trump was playing. No injuries were reported. Several media outlets identified the shooter as Ryan Wesley Routh, a 58-year-old white Hawaiian and strong supporter of Ukraine.
Following the hate campaign against Haitians, this second alleged attack represents, unfortunately, another opportunity for Republicans in an electoral race where anything goes.
In the upcoming November elections, Haitian-Americans must exercise their right to vote against these politicians in a deeply flawed democratic system.
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