UPDATED: In the ‘you can’t make this up’ category, Donald Trump told NewsNation today that the Haitians living in Springfield “must be removed.”
Trump said he would “revoke” their current legal status, “and I’d bring [sic] them back to their country.” There are 200,005 Haitian nationals here under the 34-year-old Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program.
NEW – In an exclusive interview with @NewsNation @AliBradleyTV
Trump says he would revoke the temporary protective status of Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio.
Bradley: So you would revoke the temporary protected status?
Trump: Absolutely. I'd revoke it, and I'd bring… pic.twitter.com/kqxlmNU67A
— Libbey Dean (@LibbeyDean_) October 3, 2024
Trump “disparaged” Haiti during his prior term of office.
During his first year in office, he allowed the TPS protection for immigrants from Haiti to expire, meaning that nearly 60,000 immigrants from that country would have a limited period of time during which to leave the United States. During a private conversation with legislators early in 2018, he made obvious why he might not have been compelled to extend the protection: He disparaged Haiti in vulgar terms, expressing his wish that immigrants instead came from (stable, prosperous) countries such as (predominantly White) Norway.
Trump also told NewsNation that “he would enable local law enforcement to execute what he calls the largest deportation in American history and potentially deploy military forces to combat drug cartels.”
In a lawsuit filed in the Clark County Municipal Court in Ohio, the Haitian Bridge Alliance has charged that Trump and JD Vance have spread “unrelenting lies” about Haitians living in Springfield, Ohio. The group has added a felony charge: inducing panic.
The original affidavit, filed by Guerline Joseph on behalf of the national nonprofit the Haitian Bridge Alliance (HBA), asks a Municipal Court judge to charge Vance and Trump with disrupting public services, making false alarms, two counts of complicity, two counts of telecommunications harassment and aggravated menacing.
Vance effectively admitted he lied about Haitians eating the pets of Springfield residents last month. Vance said he would “create stories” (in other words, make things up or lie) to bring media attention to issues.
Haitians are in the United States legally under the TPS program, with a potential expiration date of February 03, 2026.
Congress created TPS in 1990, giving the executive branch authority to designate countries undergoing armed conflict, environmental disaster, or extraordinary and temporary conditions that prevented nationals from returning.
Newsweek posted these excerpts from the lawsuit.
“Trump and Vance have knowingly spread a false and dangerous narrative by claiming that Springfield, Ohio’s Haitian community is criminally killing and eating neighbors’ dogs and cats and killing and eating geese…
“They accused Springfield’s Haitians of bearing deadly disease. They repeated such lies during the presidential debate, at campaign rallies, during interviews on national television, and on social media. The direct impact on Springfield, Ohio of Trump’s and Vance’s unrelenting lies cannot be overstated…
“During the last two weeks, Springfield has received 33 bomb threats. Many public institutions have been forced to evacuate, and vital local resources have been diverted to investigate the barrage of threats to the community. As detailed in the attached, incorporated affidavit, the Haitian Bridge Alliance seeks arrest warrants for Trump and Vance because they disrupted public services.”
Who selects countries eligible for TPS?
The Secretary of Homeland Security has discretion to decide when a country merits a TPS designation. The Secretary must consult with other government agencies prior to deciding to designate a country—or part of a country—for TPS. Although these other agencies are not specified in the statute, these consultations usually involve the Department of State, the National Security Council, and occasionally the Department of Justice (DOJ). The Secretary’s decision as to whether or not to designate a country for TPS is not subject to judicial review, according to immigration law.
Residents of these countries are currently eligible for TPS:
- Afghanistan
- Burma (Myanmar)
- Cameroon
- El Salvador
- Ethiopia
- Haiti
- Honduras
- Nepal
- Nicaragua
- Somalia
- South Sudan
- Sudan
- Syria
- Ukraine
- Venezuela
- Yemen
Update, 03 October 2024, 6:30 pm Pacific:
Added felony charge and Washington Post quote about prior term of office.
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Known for gnawing at complex questions like a terrier with a bone. Digital evangelist, writer, teacher. Transplanted Southerner; teach newbies to ride motorcycles. @kegill (Twitter and Mastodon.social); wiredpen.com