WASHINGTON, Sept 13 (Askume) – President Joe Biden said on Friday that attacks against Haitian immigrants in the United States “have to stop.” This came after Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump repeated false claims about Ohio’s Haitian community.
At a White House event celebrating Black excellence, Biden described his White House press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, as a proud Haitian American.
“Right now, a community is under attack in our country. It’s just wrong. There’s no place for it in America. It has to stop — that’s what they’re doing. It has to stop,” Biden said.
Trump repeated false claims about immigrants eating family pets in the small town of Springfield, Ohio, during his debate with Democratic rival Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday night .
Haitian community leaders in the US say the Republican candidate’s comments could threaten lives and further inflame tensions in Springfield, Ohio, where a recent influx of thousands of Haitians has boosted the local economy but also undermined the Social Security system.
Trump’s comment during the debate that “they’re eating dogs and the people that are coming in are eating cats” is the latest in a long series of lies about immigrants that have defined his political career. Earlier, his running mate, Ohio U.S. Senator J.D. Vance, spread similar false claims about Springfield’s new residents on social media.
City officials said they had received no credible reports of people eating livestock. City spokeswoman Karen Graves said she was not aware of any recent hate crimes against Haitians, but that some were victims of “crimes of opportunity” such as property theft.
