Outrage In New Jersey Over ‘Racist’ Claims From Trump, Vance (UPDATE)

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — New Jersey is home to the fourth-largest population of Haitian residents in the country. And according to several community activists and religious leaders, former president Donald Trump and U.S. Sen. JD Vance have painted a target on their backs with their “false, dangerous and racist” claims about immigrants eating dogs and cats.

If you’re following the 2024 presidential election, you’ve probably heard the now-infamous claim about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, which Trump made during his recent debate with vice president Kamala Harris.

Local officials and city management have roundly dismissed the rumors, with no evidence supporting the claim that people’s pets are being consumed in Springfield. Ohio governor Mike DeWine – a Republican – has bluntly called the rumor “a piece of garbage that was simply not true.”

Meanwhile, Trump’s vice-presidential candidate, Vance – who helped to spark the controversy with a social media post a day before the debate – has acknowledged that it’s possible that “all of these rumors will turn out to be false.”

A wave of outraged advocates and Haitian residents across the nation have been decrying the pair’s comments as “racist” – including in Essex County, which is home to one of the highest percentages of Haitian immigrants and Haitian-Americans in the state.

Earlier this month, city officials in East Orange, the National Association for Haitian Elected Officials Network (NAEON) and local community leaders gathered for a press conference at City Hall to hit back at Trump and Vance for their comments. See Related: ‘They’re Eating Pets’: NJ Haitians Protest False Rumors In East Orange

Two more social justice groups in the Garden State have since added their voices to the chorus: Faith in New Jersey and Resistencia en Accíon New Jersey.

“Although New Jersey is home to the fourth-largest population of Haitian residents in the country, their plight is often not championed by all of our electeds and they – like most Black immigrants – are erased from the immigrant justice fight by the media,” said Charlene Walker, executive director of Faith in New Jersey.

“As people of moral conscience, we will not stand idly by while our siblings have a target placed on their backs by the Trump/Vance campaign,” Walker added.

Ana Paola Pazmiño, the executive director of Resistencia en Accion NJ, said that an attack on one group of immigrants is an attack on all immigrants.

“Here in New Jersey, we have witnessed the risk that these false allegations of eating pets in Ohio puts on Haitian community members who are expressing concern on the stigma that this puts on them,” Pazmiño said.

The blowback has also picked up attention from U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11), one of the co-sponsors of H.Res. 1473, which condemns the "racism and bigotry" unleashed towards Haitian people in the wake of Trump and Vance's claims.

"Donald Trump and J.D. Vance are intent on dividing Americans – pitting us against each other and sowing chaos for their own personal, political gain," Sherrill said. "Now, after spreading blatant lies and misinformation about Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio, the community is reeling – shutting down schools, government buildings, and community events due to bomb threats and other public safety concerns."

"This is reprehensible and dangerous – and has caused pain and fear among the Haitian American community in New Jersey," the congresswoman added.

PASTOR: ‘THE DEAFENING SOUND OF SILENCE’

On Monday, the Rev. Niles Wilson, a Newark native who serves as pastor at Greater Cornerstone Baptist Church in East Orange, penned an op-ed he titled “The Deafening Sound of Silence.”

Wilson’s letter follows below:

"It's been three years since Texas border agents chased Haitian migrants on horseback using their reins as whips to threaten the asylum seekers with the type of violence they were originally fleeing from, all in an effort to keep them from crossing into the U.S. Fast forward three years and we see political candidates running for the highest office in the country, spewing outrageous and false claims that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, were abducting pet dogs and cats and eating them. Numerous fact-checks and recants of these claims hasn't stopped Trump or his vice-presidential running mate from perpetuating this lie. Their dangerous political rhetoric has incited threats and violence against the Haitian community in Springfield and beyond.

"It's bad enough for political candidates to lie, but when those lies stoke the flames of America’s long-standing issue of racism, the consequences are devastating. The spread of these falsehoods has led to increased hostility, forcing schools in Springfield to close and local government operations to grind to a halt. This reckless rhetoric is not just a lie; it’s a lit fuse that threatens to ignite deeper divisions, hatred, and violence across the country. As if to add insult to injury, Mr. Trump has pledged to deport Haitian migrants in Springfield if elected, despite the fact that they are legally residing in the United States.

"What we are witnessing is yet another blatant example of systemic racism in America. Racism is our nation’s Achilles’ heel, perpetuated by white supremacy and by those who seek to stoke fear among white Americans, blaming people of color for their problems. The attacks on Haitian immigrants and the Haitian American community are part of a long history of vilification of Black and Brown people in this country—a history that goes back centuries and continues to echo today.

"Haiti, in particular, has been a target of white supremacy ever since General Jean-Jacques Dessalines declared the country’s independence from France in 1804, establishing the first independent Black nation in the West. American slaveholders feared that Haiti's success would inspire a similar uprising in the U.S., leading the U.S. military to intervene in Haiti 17 times between 1862 and 1915. While these attempts to overthrow Haiti's government failed, the economic destruction that followed left the country in ruins. Haiti was forced to pay 90 million francs (21 billion in today’s currency) in reparations to France for its independence—a crippling debt that wasn't paid off until 1947. Even then, the country remained economically shackled because they were forced to take loans from other nations when they couldn't pay their debts. Leaving them owing millions in interest to the U.S., payments that helped build American wealth while keeping Haiti impoverished.

"Today, Black and Brown immigrants, like those from Haiti, are demonized in the U.S. Political leaders, including the former president, use their presence to spread fear, promising mass deportations despite their legal status. Yet according to migrationpolicy.org, 4.7 million European immigrants live in the United States as of 2022, but they face none of the demonization or deportation threats hurled at Black and Brown immigrants. This is an alarming double standard. No immigrant legally residing in the U.S., regardless of their race, should have to live under the threat of deportation or violence at the hands of racists.

"Now is the time for municipal, state, and national leaders from all political backgrounds to unequivocally denounce this rhetoric. Political leaders must stand with religious, academic, and business communities in supporting Haitian immigrants and the larger Caribbean diaspora. The silence from these leaders is deafening, and the unchecked actions of white supremacists are growing bolder. No more! Why has America abandoned its promise to welcome ‘the tired, the poor, the huddled masses?’ This country was built by immigrants, including Black and Indigenous peoples—the very groups Trump now vilifies, who were exploited, oppressed, and terrorized by colonists.

"This hatred is the direct result of systemic racism. It is born of the belief that people with Black and Brown skin are inherently less deserving of dignity, opportunity, and safety. Haitians, like many other people of color, are unfairly persecuted simply because of their skin color. They are criticized, demonized, and vilified for seeking a better life in America—something white immigrants have done for centuries without facing such hatred. Haitian Americans and immigrants have significantly contributed to the United States in various fields, enriching the nation’s culture, politics, science, and arts. We are thankful and proud of Ambassador Patrick Gaspard, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, Harvard President Claudine Gay, Dr. Pierre-Richard Cornely, Businessman Daymond John, Activist Fabienne Jean, Tennis Player Naomi Osaka and Sergeant Philippe Morgan to name a few. ”It is time for all of us, as Americans, to reject this hateful rhetoric and stand up for what is right. We cannot remain silent while political leaders and white supremacists spread fear and lies about immigrants of color. We must demand that politicians, business executives, clergy members, teachers, and community leaders speak out against this injustice. Silence is complicity.

"We stand in solidarity with our Haitian brothers and sisters. We reject the blatant lies being irresponsibly spread by the former president and his running mate. America is better than this. We deserve better than this. It’s time to raise our voices and demand a nation that truly lives up to its ideals of liberty and justice for all."

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