By COLLEEN LONG
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance didn’t back down on Sunday from the false allegations he and Donald Trump have ensured that Haitians in a Ohio Community kidnap and eat pets, although the state's Republican governor and other officials insist there is no such thing as a evidence of such behavior.
Vance, an Ohio senator, said voters in Springfield were telling him their concerns and a minimum of 10 of them were “verifiable.” In a series of interviews on news programs, he said he exaggerated the allegations to attract attention to Democrat Kamala Harris' immigration policies, which he described as lax. He added: “Anyone who has dealt with a large influx of immigrants knows that sometimes there are cultural practices that seem very far-fetched to many Americans.”
Local and state officials have said the allegations are unfaithful, unfairly solid the town in a negative light, and have generated unwanted and frightening negative attention since Trump. mentioned it within the presidential debate last week when he mentioned Springfield by name. For two days Bomb threats led to the evacuation of colleges and government buildings. Some email threats pointed to an influx of migrants into the community.
But it wasn't just Springfield officials who denied the allegations. Governor Mike DeWine (Republican of Ohio) said Sunday: “There's a lot of garbage on the Internet and, you know, that garbage was just not true. There's no evidence for it at all.”
He continued, “Let me tell you what we know. What we know is that the Haitians that are in Springfield are legal. They came to Springfield to work. Ohio is on the move, and Springfield has really seen a big boom with a lot of companies coming here. These Haitians have come to work for these companies. What the companies are telling us is that they are very good workers. They are very happy to have them there. And, frankly, that has helped the economy.”
Nevertheless, the narrative has dominated Trump’s campaign messages over the past week and shows how some within the Republican Party are willing to make use of false claims as a part of the inflammatory and anti-immigration rhetoric which Trump promoted throughout his election campaigns.
“Whatever any local mayor has said about this case, I hear from dozens of constituents who are concerned about these issues,” Vance said.
He added: “I think it's important to say that we are not angry at Haitian migrants who want a better life. We are angry at Kamala Harris for letting this happen to a small town in Ohio, and thank God Donald Trump has called attention to this and would fight back against this policy if the American people were willing.”
About 15,000 immigrants have arrived in recent times to the predominantly white and working-class city of about 60,000 inhabitants, just over an hour west of Columbus.
Springfield also says the Haitian immigrants are within the U.S. legally, under a federal program that permits them temporary residency within the country. Last month Biden administration grants approval for a short lived legal status for about 300,000 Haitians already within the USAciting conditions in Haiti which might be deemed unsafe for his or her return. Haiti's government has declared a state of emergency as a consequence of rampant gang violence across the country.
Vance was asked in an interview whether he knew the allegations were false.
“If I have to invent stories to get the American media to actually pay attention to the suffering of the American people, then I will do that,” Vance said, quickly clarifying that he “created the focus that allowed the media to talk about this story and the suffering caused by the policies.”
Vance appeared on CBS's “Face the Nation,” CNN's “State of the Union” and NBC's “Meet the Press,” while DeWine appeared on ABC's “This Week.”
Originally published:
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