09/17/2024 --axios
A Republican-driven conspiracy theory about Haitian immigrants eating pets has upended life in a small Ohio town and shined a spotlight on an often-overlooked immigrant community.Why it matters: After former President Trump amplified the baseless claims at last week's presidential debate, many members of the Haitian American community have reported receiving threats or feeling unsafe.State of play: Local officials have stressed that there are no credible reports of migrants in Springfield, Ohio eating cats and dogs — a conspiracy that first gained traction online among right-wing influencers.Yet in the week since the debate, Springfield has been hit by bomb and shooting threats that shuttered schools and city buildings and forced the cancellation of the annual culture celebration.Zoom out: Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-Fla.) — the only Haitian American in Congress — told CNN Saturday that the impacts on the community are being felt far beyond Springfield."We're feeling the combativeness, we're feeling the death threats ... I'm hearing that from people all across the country," she said.How big is the Haitian American community?The Census Bureau's 2024 Current Population Survey (CPS) estimates that there are roughly 852,000 Haitian immigrants in the U.S., according to the Center for Immigration Studies.Florida has the largest Haitian population in the U.S., at about 500,000 individuals. Other states with sizable Haitian populations include Massachusetts, New York and New Jersey.Springfield officials estimate that between 12,000 and 20,000 Haitians live in the city, per the New York Times.How are they arriving in the U.S.?Most Haitians in the U.S. are living and working in the country legally.According to the CPS, 68.7% of foreign-born Haitians are naturalized U.S. citizens.The U.S. government's Haitian Family Reunification Parole (HFRP) has allowed Haitians with relatives in the U.S. who are citizens or legal permanent residents to come to the U.S. while their green card applications are pending, per the Migration Policy Institute.Many other Haitian immigrants hold Temporary Protected Status (TPS), a designation that can be renewed and allows migrants to temporarily remain and work in the U.S. if conditions in their home country prevent them from returning safely.Why are Haitians coming to the U.S.?Many Haitians are in the U.S. as a result of a devastating history of political turmoil, natural disasters and violence that have worsened the humanitarian conditions in the country.Haitians were first granted TPS in 2010 after a devastating earthquake killed more than 200,000 people. The island nation has been rocked by other massive earthquakes and tropical storms in the years since.Gang violence in Haiti has surged in recent years and last year gangs seized control of large swaths of the capital of Port-au-Prince.In the first months of 2024, armed gangs killed thousands of people in Haiti and forced the prime minister to resign.What kinds of threats are Haitians in Springfield facing?As the furor around the conspiracy theory has risen, many Haitians in Springfield have been left feeling unsafe.Some Haitian families have kept their kids home from school out of fear for their safety, while other community members have reported having the windows of their cars smashed in, the Haitian Times reported. In one instance, acid was thrown on a vehicle.Viles Dorsainvil, who heads a Haitian community center in Springfield, told Reuters the facility had received threatening phone calls.Go deeper: What to know about the crisis in Haiti after the prime minister's resignation
