“In Springfield, they are eating the dogs. The people that came in, they are eating the cats. They’re eating–they are eating the pets of the people that live there.” These were the viral words used by Former President Trump in his presidential debate with Vice President Kamala Harris. These words have since appeared in memes, reels, and even in songs—and, for most people, that is their sole relevance and importance for many. They’re just one more thing politicians say to gain support: baseless or even absurd, yet, at the end of the day, just another statement. But for the Haitian migrants living in Springfield, these words convey a very tangible and real threat.
Many of the Haitian population in Springfield migrated legally in the last four years to fill local manufacturing jobs. However—contrary to Former President Trump’s claims that they “destroyed the place”—Haitian immigrants have actually filled gaps in manufacturing jobs while making Springfield a more diverse city. More importantly, the vast majority of these migrants live legally in Springfield as recipients of a Temporary Protected Status that shields them from deportation without granting permanent citizenship. And as for the pet eating allegations, the police department of Springfield has asserted that no Haitian living in Springfield has been observed doing anything remotely similar to the allegations, further stating that this conspiracy theory may have been sparked by an American woman—with no discernible connection to Haiti—who ate a cat in Canton, Ohio. Ironically, even Presidential Running Mate J.D. Vance himself has essentially acknowledged that the story is false.
Yet despite the clear falsehood of these allegations, these words have turned the lives of the Haitian immigrants in Springfield upside down. Haitian immigrants are afraid for their safety, many considering leaving Springfield. Viles Dorsainvil, Springfield local and leader of Haitian Community Help and Support Center, states, “We are asking ourselves whether to stay here or go somewhere else.” The damage done by these words cannot be undone. Some Haitian families are now afraid of sending their children to school or church, unable to trust the community they live in anymore. Some parents state that their children are now being bullied in school due to their race. All of this pain was caused needlessly: the lives of so many people took a turn for the worse because of a lie.
Unfortunately, what happened in Springfield is just one of the many effects of the inflammatory anti-immigrant rhetoric used by Trump. In the past few months, Trump has frequently referenced a so-called “invasion” of illegal immigrants into America, further doubling down that illegal immigrants are causing a cataclysmic crime wave by “killing hundreds and thousands of people a year.”
However, similar to the false statements spewed about Haitian Immigrants in Springfield, this too is a complete fabrication. As illustrated by the Texas-based “Operation Lone Star”—a security initiative launched by the governor of Texas—cities that received the highest number of immigrants from the border reported crime levels dropping. Furthermore, in December 2020 researchers in Texas found there was no increase in crimes committed by illegal immigrants. In fact, they found that the arrest rate for illegal immigrants was significantly less than legal immigrants or native-born Americans.
Nevertheless, similar to what happened in Springfield, the effects of Trump’s lies are still very much real and tangible. Following the dramatic increase in the use of the word “migrant crime” on Fox News, and Trump’s repeated statements about the topic, the prioritization of the issue of immigration in polls has increased, revealing how Trump’s inflammatory and untrue claims are touching the lives of more and more people.
And if this trend continues, if more and more buy into this false reality, then the consequences for migrants are dire. J.D. Vance has stated that if Trump is elected, then he will repeal the Temporary Protection Status of the Haitian immigrants in Springfield, thus forcing them to leave their home and return to the threat that they escaped from in Haiti. Furthermore, Trump has called for the biggest mass deportation of immigrants, a notion further stated in the republican made “Mandate for Leadership” from “Project 2025.”
Ultimately, there are problems with the US immigration system. There is illegal immigration. Yet perhaps what Springfield, Ohio truly shows us is that the even more damning problem is the one in our minds. It is ultimately the way we see immigrants—the way we don’t treat them with respect, the way we scapegoat them for crimes they never committed, the way we call for their deportation without fixing our own policies first.
That is also a part of the cause of the broken immigration system we live with. For, when we let prejudice rule our policy making, the actual need for the policy is supplanted with hate. And it is when rational thought is replaced by empty hatred that order collapses.