Donald Trump Turns Back to Claims of Haitian Migrants Eating Pets

A former congressman branded Donald Trump a “monster of anti-immigration” Thursday after the former president repeated debunked claims that Haitian migrants were eating pets in Springfield, Ohio.

Luis V. Gutiérrez, who represented Illinois’ 4th District from 1993 through 2019, was reacting to the Republican presidential nominee’s town hall with undecided Latino voters on Univision Wednesday. At the town hall, Trump was asked whether he really believed the Springfield claims.

“This was just reported. I was just saying what was reported,” Trump said. “And eating other things too, that they are not supposed to be.”

Trump and his running mate, Ohio Senator JD Vance, were among those who repeated rumors in early September that migrants were eating pets and local wildlife in Springfield, despite local officials and community leaders saying there was no evidence.

On Wednesday, Trump went on to say that 30,000 Haitians had been placed in the Ohio town—double the official numbers from Springfield officials. The majority of the immigrants have arrived through the legal Humanitarian Parole program or been allowed to stay through Temporary Protected Status (TPS).

Gutiérrez said at a briefing that Trump was becoming increasingly unhinged and warned Latinos that the promise of mass deportation should scare them all.

“Remember, mi gente, he is coming for all of us,” Gutiérrez warned, saying Trump would target Dreamers and those with TPS. “No one will be safe from this monster of anti-immigration.”

In different rallies and speeches in recent months, the Republican candidate has claimed he will carry out mass deportations of illegal immigrants while also saying he would look to end Biden-era policies, such as TPS and Humanitarian Parole.

On Wednesday night, Trump said that Springfield had not had any problems before immigrants arrived and that the influx had caused a “disaster.”

“We can’t let that happen to our cities and our towns and our country; it’s not sustainable,” Trump added.

Maria Cardona, a Democratic strategist, criticized the former president for standing by the claims and not showing any regret.

“That puts a target on the backs of all of our communities,” she said. “Because his followers, who will take him at his word…we know what this rhetoric does and the kind of violence and hatred this inspires in others.”

Another voter, a farm worker, asked Trump what would happen to the farming industry should many of those working in it be deported.

Trump said farmers had been better off during his first term in office before repeating claims that criminals were pouring into the U.S. because of open border policies.

“From all over the world, they are being let in. Nobody has ever seen anything like it,” he said. “We want workers, and we want them to come in, but they have to come in legally.”

This week, the National Foundation for American Policy released a report showing that a mass deportation plan or more restrictions on migration could negatively impact the U.S. job market.

The report found that many of those who would be deported have been in the country for over a decade, working in various sectors.

Polling has shown a mixed view among both Democrat and Republican voters. Many have said they support mass deportation while also wanting more legal pathways into the U.S.

“Don’t believe all these polls that Republicans like to tout, that they say the majority of Americans agree with mass deportations; those polls are misguided. They do not ask the question correctly,” Cardona said, adding that she believed many Americans were more anti-chaos than anti-migrant.

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