Former President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he would revoke the legal status of Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, and deport them from the U.S. if he wins reelection in November.
Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), have spread racist lies about members of that Ohio immigrant community, claiming that they are stealing and eating peoples’ pets, despite pleas from local officials for them to stop circulating the falsehoods.
In an interview with NewsNation, Trump was asked if he would be prepared to deport Haitian immigrants from Springfield who are in the U.S. legally under the Temporary Protected Status program.
“Absolutely,” he said. “I’d revoke it and I’d bring them back to their country.”
Springfield’s city government estimates there are approximately 12,000 to 15,000 immigrants living in Clark County, where the city is located.
Immigrants can be granted Temporary Protected Status if their country is affected by an ongoing armed conflict, an environmental disaster or other extraordinary and temporary conditions, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Haiti, which has endured a series of natural disasters and ongoing political turmoil, was among the countries President Joe Biden included in a program to create or expand pathways for legal entry into the U.S.
In June, the Department of Homeland Security extended Temporary Protected Status for Haitian immigrants until Feb. 3, 2026, citing “extraordinary and temporary conditions” in the country.
Yet Trump insisted Haitian immigrants should return to their home country, claiming their presence has negatively impacted the city of Springfield despite the fact that they have made significant contributions to the city’s economy by filling jobs.
“It doesn’t work,” Trump said. “It can’t work. It has nothing to do with Haiti or anything else. It doesn’t work. You have to remove the people, and you have to bring them back to their own country.”
Following the spread of the right-wing smears about Haitian immigrants, multiple schools in Springfield had to be evacuated last month due to bomb threats, prompting Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) to station Highway Patrol troopers at the school district’s buildings.
The topic also came up during Tuesday’s vice presidential debate when Vance falsely claimed that Springfield and other communities have been overrun by “illegal immigrants,” prompting a fact-check from one of the moderators.
“Just to clarify for our viewers, Springfield, Ohio, does have a large number of Haitian migrants who have legal status,” CBS’s Margaret Brennan said.
