The Ugly Anti-Black Racism at the Heart of Trump's Attacks on Haitian Immigrants

Bomb threats against city hall. Proud Boys marching. Schools emptied. The residents of Springfield, Ohio are learning firsthand what it means to be caught in the crosshairs of Donald Trump’s dangerous tirades against immigrants in this nation. Long after the headlines have moved onto Trump’s next target, this town will be left to pick up the pieces.

We say “next target” because the Republican presidential nominee’s comments against Haitian immigrants during the September 10 debate were not a one-off, but an inevitable result of the anti-Blackness deeply rooted in our nation’s immigration policies and narratives. Until leaders in both parties step up to reject this racism, we can expect the consequences to continue.

This pernicious history goes back hundreds of years. Although Haiti became an independent nation in 1804, the United States refused to officially recognize Haiti’s independence for nearly another six decades - because white politicians feared the revolution would spread to enslaved Black people in the U.S. But echoes of the past reverberate. In 2021, horrific images surfaced showing border patrol agents on horseback, whips in hand, using excessive force against Haitian families along the Rio Grande.

Trump himself has a long track record of discriminating against Black people in this country, including but not limited to Black immigrants. Decades ago, he systematically denied housing to Black tenants in New York. He called for the execution of five innocent young men of color known as the Central Park Five and has continued peddling birther conspiracies against President Obama. During his presidency, Trump called African and Haitian nations “shithole countries” and instituted Muslim and Africa bans, the effects of which are still felt today.

But racist immigration policies transcend political party. Last year, the Biden administration began requiring people fleeing danger to use the CBP One app to make their asylum appointments – among the app’s many glitches included facial recognition technology that failed to consistently recognize the faces of Black people. In June of this year, Biden placed a harsh and arbitrary limit on the number of people who can seek asylum, effectively slamming the door on people trying to access safety. These policy failures disproportionally harm Black immigrants, though their effects are widespread.

One of the key lessons of the events in Springfield is that anti-Blackness doesn’t just hurt the intended target, but whole communities. While those who called in bomb threats may have aimed to hurt Haitian immigrants, a far larger group of residents experienced the evacuations of schools, hospital lockdowns, and the cancelation of an annual festival. This is unsurprising: we have seen repeatedly that attempts to harm one group of people have far-reaching ripple effects. Whether we are immigrants or born here in the U.S., our lives are intertwined, and it is in our collective interest to confront this racism and make clear it has no place in the future of this nation.

Looking back at our nation’s history, we know American cities have a rich history of integrating immigrants even after a bumpy start, including Irish and Italian immigrants in 19th and 20^th centuries in New York, Liberians in the 20^th century in Philadelphia, and more recently Ukrainians fleeing war. Those arriving from Haiti and African countries must be welcomed too. The federal government must do its job and support welcoming efforts so places like Springfield can access resources for integrating new residents.

Springfield’s leaders have been clear that Haitian immigrants have revitalized the city, working and contributing to the community. Once newly arrived people get their bearings, they become friends, neighbors, and leaders who expand cultural life, grow the economy, pay taxes, and work essential jobs. In 2022 (the most recent data available), immigrants in Ohio paid $7.0 billion in taxes, including $2.4 billion in state and local taxes. What the city needs is support to help incorporate this new group of people, including translation services and hospital staffing. These are real but solvable logistical challenges that deserve practical solutions – not the racism, dehumanization, and lies from shameless opportunists like Donald Trump and JD Vance.