Springfield, which has been inundated with a flood of migrants from the Caribbean nation over recent years, was jolted into the national spotlight last month after Trump, 78, amplified unsubstantiated pet consumption claims during his Sept. 10 debate against Kamala Harris.
“Absolutely, I’d revoke it and I’d bring them back to their country,” Trump told “NewsNation” correspondent Ali Bradley in a Wednesday interview.
Donald Trump said he would “absolutely” revoke temporary protection status for Haitian migrants in order to have them removed from Springfield, Ohio, in an exclusive interview with NewsNation’s @AliBradleyTV.MORE: https://t.co/T8JNEbH6IM pic.twitter.com/uVVxialnGq
TPS is currently given to migrants from 16 strife-ridden countries, including Haiti, to which deportation could risk their safety.
As of March 31, more than 200,000 individuals from Haiti had been approved for TPS, according to the Congressional Research Service.
Springfield, which established a “Welcome Springfield” initiative roughly a decade ago to court migrants, was estimated to have had a population of about 58,000 in 2022 — but has received roughly 15,000 to 20,000 new residents since, putting a severe strain on its public resources for schools and health care.
Trump had seized on Springfield’s plight while railing against Vice President Kamala Harris’ track record on illegal migration and the ongoing migrant crisis.
Before the debate against Harris, Trump had posted memes to his social media account alluding to reports that migrants in Springfield were eating pets.
Then, the Republican nominee said it out loud.
“They’re eating the dogs. They’re eating the cats. They’re eating the pets of the people that live there,” Trump said at the debate, prompting a swift fact-check from moderator David Muir, who noted that city officials denied those allegations.
Springfield received dozens of bomb threats against government buildings, schools and more — the “vast majority” of which stemmed from foreign actors intending to agitate US domestic politics, according to Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine.
Trump and his running mate JD Vance, 40, dug in and lashed out at the media in response.
Subscribe to our special edition newsletter to stay updated on the election stories that matter
Trump and his running mate JD Vance, 40, dug in and lashed out at the media in response.
Please provide a valid email address.
By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use
and Privacy Policy.
Never miss a story
“What’s happening there is horrible. You have a beautiful community,” Trump lamented to “NewsNation.” “You have to remove the people [migrants]. … We cannot destroy our country.”
“It doesn’t work. It can’t work. It has nothing to do with Haiti or anything else,” he added, contending that Haiti will “receive” the migrants.
The Harris-Walz campaign has skewered Trump and Vance over the claims, with the vice president decrying the mayhem that ensued in Springfield after the debate.
“People are deeply troubled by what is happening to that community in Springfield, Ohio, and it’s got to stop,” Harris told a National Association of Black Journalists panel last month.