Haitian group files criminal charges against Trump

OHIO, United States (CMC) – A Haitian group in Springfield, Ohio, has filed criminal charges against former US President Donald Trump and his Republican Vice President JD Vance for what the group described as “unfounded and malicious statements.” referred to by both men about Haitian immigrants eating domestic animals such as dogs and cats.

The Haitian Bridge Alliance (HBA) says it filed the criminal complaint in a Springfield municipal court.

The HBA, a nonprofit grassroots organization that advocates for fair and humane immigration policies and provides humanitarian, legal and social services to migrants and immigrants, said that in recent weeks both Trump and Vance have made “an effort to denigrate the… and to threaten “Haitian community in Springfield”.

“Together, they spread and amplified the debunked claim that Haitian immigrants in Springfield eat domestic animals such as cats, dogs and wild animals,” it said, adding that the criminal complaint asked the court to “certify probable cause that Trump and Vance “have committed multiple crimes.” issue arrest warrants for Trump and Vance.”

HBA said it is represented by Ohio-based civil rights attorney Subodh Chandra, who successfully represented the family of Tamir Rice in a lawsuit against Ohio police over the shooting and killing of their son.

“HBA filed this criminal complaint to hold Trump and Vance accountable for the devastating harm they inflicted on our Springfield community and which has impacted Haitians across the United States,” said Guerline Jozef, executive director of HBA.

Chandra said that if anyone else had disrupted public service, raised false alarms and engaged in telecommunications harassment like Trump and Vance did with their relentless and persistent lies, even after the governor and mayor said that, whatever they said was wrong, they would do it. I have since been arrested.

“They must be held accountable to the rule of law just like the rest of us,” he added.

HBA said 33 bomb threats were reported across Springfield within the last two weeks and that hospitals, schools, universities and government offices were all evacuated after receiving racially motivated threats.

The nonprofit group said Springfield government officials and their families also received threats.

“Trump and Vance’s lies have harmed the Springfield community and their lies have violated criminal law. HBA is non-partisan, it is not about any candidate or political party. This is about confronting white supremacy, anti-black rhetoric and hate speech that seems to be a constant in US politics and continues to cause suffering. No one is above the law.”

HBA attorney Erik Crew said Trump and Vance’s comments were “the same old anti-Black playbook we’ve seen in Ohio for hundreds of years to divide and incite hatred, especially at election time.” .

“I was born and raised in Cincinnati; my father was born and raised in Cleveland; and our family was previously born and raised in Springfield, Ohio. White supremacist and anti-democratic movements have always maintained that so-called black savages come to destroy, especially when it comes to political power. This is no different.

“This time they’re saying they’re Haitians, and this time it’s being used to score political points on immigration as well,” Crew said.

Trump-Vance campaign communications director Steven Cheung said Trump is “right to highlight the failed immigration system that Kamala Harris has overseen and that has allowed thousands of illegal immigrants to pour into communities like Springfield and many others across the country.”

In his first and only presidential debate last month with his Democratic challenger, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, the daughter of Jamaican-born retired economist Dr. Donald Harris, Trump claimed that Haitian immigrants in Springfield are “eating the pets of the people who live there.”

But Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has dismissed Trump’s claim as “garbage.”

In his vice presidential debate Tuesday with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Harris’ running mate, Vance doubled down on false claims against Haitian immigrants.

“In Springfield and communities across the country, there are schools that are overburdened and housing that is completely unaffordable because we have brought millions of illegal immigrants into the country to compete with Americans for scarce housing,” he said.

On Wednesday, Trump also said that if re-elected in the Nov. 5 presidential election, he would resign and deport the Haitian immigrants in Springfield who were granted Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to remain in the United States.

“You have to remove people and return them to their own country,” Trump said, adding: “In my opinion, that’s not legal.”

However, HBA said it “remains committed to the dignity, rights and humanity of all immigrants,” adding that it stands “in solidarity with the Haitian community in Springfield and throughout the United States.”