The Haitian Bridge Alliance filed a complaint seeking criminal charges against former President Donald Trump and his running mate, JD Vance, on Tuesday over statements the two have made concerning allegations that Haitian nationals are eating people’s pets in Springfield, Ohio.
"Over the last two weeks, both Trump and Vance led an effort to vilify and threaten the Haitian community in Springfield, Ohio," said HBA co-founder and executive director Guerline Jozef. "Together, they spread and amplified the debunked claim that Haitian immigrants in Springfield are eating cats, dogs, and wildlife."
HBA’s complaint does not mean that Trump and Vance have been charged with crimes related to their rhetoric about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, but through it, the grassroots advocacy group is requesting the court to either file arrest warrants against the GOP nominees or refer the matter to a district attorney.
According to the complaint, Trump and Vance’s public statements on Haitian immigrants surpass the probable cause standard necessary to formally charge them with the alleged crimes.
“Investigation is neither needed nor requested. Despite the facts presented in the affidavit being open and notorious for the world to see, the prosecuting attorney has not yet acted to protect the community and hold Trump and Vance accountable for the harm they have instigated. Thus, the Haitian Bridge Alliance and Ms. Jozef request this Court, independently, to find probable cause based on the facts presented and issue arrest warrants for both Trump and Vance,” reads the complaint.
HBA added later in the document that “if anyone else had done what they have done, to the devastating effect experienced in Springfield, police and prosecutors would have filed charges by now.”
The affidavit backing the complaint alleges that Haitians in Springfield have suffered direct threats and mockery since Vance provided a national platform for the false allegations. (The Hill)
“HBA filed this criminal charge to hold Trump and Vance accountable for the devastating harm they caused our community in Springfield and has impacted Haitians around the United States,” Jozef said in a statement.
While local officials have said there are "no credible reports" of pets in Springfield being harmed, the same cannot be said of geese in the area.
There’s a police report, police call recording, and testimony from residents about Haitains stealing and eating animals in Ohio.
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) September 11, 2024
ABC “fact checked” Trump on this and let Kamala get away with the bloodbath hoax, fine people hoax, and lying about police dying on Jan 6, violent… pic.twitter.com/6MXECPjAAc
Trump-Vance campaign communications director Steven Cheung told NBC News in a statement that Trump "is rightfully highlighting the failed immigration system that Kamala Harris has overseen, bringing thousands of illegal immigrants pouring into communities like Springfield and many others across the country."
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