Florida Haitian-American officials speak out on calumny against Haitians in Ohio

Screenshot of South Florida U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick on Sept. 19, 2024.Two of Florida’s top Haitian American lawmakers, Democratic U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick and North Miami state Democratic Rep. Dotie Joseph, joined in with other Haitian American lawmakers around the country on Thursday to denounce the false allegations by former President Donald Trump and Republican vice-presidential nominee J.D. Vance about Haitians in Springfield, Ohio, that have put a target on that immigrant community.

Vance and Trump have repeatedly alleged over the past two weeks that Haitian immigrants in Springfield have stolen and eaten dogs and cats, despite insistence by local and state government officials in Ohio that they are baseless.

The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that Bryan Heck, the Springfield city manager, told a Vance staff member last week that there was no truth to the rumors of pets being taken and eaten. But by then, Vance had already posted the rumors to his 1.9 million followers on X, and Trump advanced the claim the next evening during the presidential debate viewed by more than 67 million people.

Since then, more than 30 bomb threats have been made against schools, government buildings, and city officials’ homes, forcing evacuations and closures, the Associated Press is reporting. The city of Springfield cancelled its annual celebration of diversity, arts, and culture due to the threats, and state police were deployed to city schools earlier this week.

“Today we stand united in condemning the dangerous and xenophobic rhetoric spread by former president Donald Trump and J.D. Vance,” Joseph said on a Zoom conference call organized by the National Haitian American Elected Officials Network.

“Their words not only target the Haitian community, which is experiencing increased tension and accusations and problems around the country, but particularly in Springfield. The entire community is impacted by their spreading fear and division.”

Joseph was born in Haiti and raised in Miami. She went on to graduate from Yale University and has represented her district in North Miami in the Florida House since 2018.

Joining her on the call was Broward-Palm Beach County U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, the first Haitian American Democrat elected to Congress after winning a special election to succeed the late Alcee Hastings in January 2022.

‘It’s not racist’

Cherfilus-McCormick, the daughter of Haitian immigrants, not only criticized Trump and Vance for spreading the false narrative about Haitians in Ohio, but also Donald Trump Jr. for his comment last week that Haitian immigrants were less intelligent than people from other countries.

“You look at Haiti, you look at the demographic makeup, you look at the average I.Q. — if you import the third world into your country, you’re going to become the third world,” the younger Trump said in an interview with Charlie Kirk on Real America’s Voice, a conservative broadcasting network, according to The New York Times. “That’s just basic. It’s not racist. It’s just fact.”

“When you start talking about low IQs and genetic inferiority, what you’re really doing is blowing the whistle to call out white supremacy organizations to become active and engage,” Cherfilus-McCormick said. “It’s not surprising that we have so many threats and so much violence that is potentially about to ensue, and so, as Americans and as electeds, we have to stand up strong and make it very clear that there is no place for hate in our country.”

She went on to say that many of the Haitian migrants living in the United States came through a humanitarian parole program created by the Biden administration that allows Haitians, Cubans, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans to enter legally as long as they have a financial sponsor and pass background checks. The program first was launched for Venezuela in October 2022 and expanded to Haiti, Cuba, and Nicaragua in January 2023.

“They are vetted for health and they are also vetted for social and criminal backgrounds,” Cherfilus-McCormick said. “That’s the only way that they’re able to come into the U.S. And so, once they’ve passed this, they’re able to come in get their working papers. These people are not illegal, but actually came into this country legally.”