Members of Chicago’s Haitian community and supporters gathered Sunday afternoon to denounce recent “hateful” and false claims made about Haitian immigrants by former President Donald Trump, the current Republican nominee for president. The rally, held at Federal Plaza in the Loop, was organized by the Coalition of Haitian American Organizations in the Chicagoland Area. About 25 people attended and several community members, faith leaders and alderpersons spoke despite the afternoon’s persistent rain.
During the Sept. 10 presidential debate against Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump repeated the false claims that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, were stealing and eating people’s cats and dogs. Many of Sunday’s speakers denounced the comments as racist and xenophobic.
Trump’s running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, has amplified debunked internet rumors about Haitian migrants as the Republican ticket criticizes the immigration policies of President Joe Biden’s administration that are supported by Harris. City officials acknowledge growing pains from the influx of some 15,000 Haitian immigrants, but say there’s no evidence to support the claim they are consuming anyone’s pets.
More than 30 bomb threats have been made against schools, government buildings and city officials’ homes since last week, forcing evacuations and closures. At Sunday’s rally in Chicago, Daniel Jean, president of the Haitian American Professional Network of Chic.