It’s not a secret that Donald Trump has falsely accused Haitian immigrants in Ohio of abducting and eating household pets. But just as notably, the former president and his running mate have repeatedly told the public that those same immigrants entered the United States illegally.
That’s a lie, too. As NBC News reported over the weekend, even Ohio’s Republican governor, Mike DeWine, has explained that “many of the Haitian immigrants in Springfield went there legally under federal programs as refugees who fled political turmoil in their country and said they have helped boost the state’s economy as workers.”
As a Washington Post report noted, the GOP’s 2024 nominee has nevertheless opened the door to “large deportations.”
Former president Donald Trump vowed to conduct “large deportations” of migrants from the United States, starting in Springfield, Ohio, the target of false claims his ticket has pushed about Haitian immigrants eating pets.
“I can say this,” the Republican said at a press conference in California on Friday, “we will do large deportations from Springfield, Ohio. Large deportations. We’re gonna get these people out. We’re bringing ‘em back to Venezuela.” Trump added that he, in a second term, would launch “the largest deportation in the history of our country,” and Springfield would be one of the first communities he’d target.
Trump says his mass deportation will begin with Springfield, Ohio pic.twitter.com/2aCwIo7Pc8
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) September 13, 2024
Right off the bat, let’s acknowledge the single most important detail: The Haitian immigrants — the people Trump and Vance have falsely accused of being pet-eating, disease-ridden thieves — entered the country legally, suggesting that the GOP nominee is open to deporting legal immigrants.
It’s also worth pausing to wonder why Trump intends to send Haitian immigrants to Venezuela. (The two countries have very little in common. They’re not even part of the same continent.)
But just as notable is the broader political context surrounding the former president’s rhetoric.








