The father of an 11-year-old Springfield, Ohio, boy who died in a bus crash involving a Haitian immigrant wants Republicans to stop using his son as a “political tool” and apologize for his behavior, he said in a speech Tuesday.
“I wish my son, Aiden Clark, was murdered by a 60-year-old white man. I bet you never thought someone would say something so crass, but if that guy murdered my 11-year-old son, the incessant group of hateful people would leave us alone,” he said Tuesday before the Springfield City Commission.
In 2023, Clark’s son Aidan’s school bus was accidentally struck by a minivan driven by Hermanio Joseph, a Haitian immigrant in Springfield, Ohio. Joseph was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter.
Aiden’s death has since been used by Republicans, including vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance and other Republicans, to spread anti-immigration rhetoric and hate, falsely claiming that Aiden was “murdered by a Haitian migrant.” On Monday, Donald Trump posted about Aiden on his X account.
“11-year-old Aiden Clark was murdered on his way to school by a Haitian migrant who Kamala Harris allowed into the country in Springfield, Ohio. Kamala Harris has refused to give Aiden’s name,” the post reads.
It’s exactly the kind of message Clark wants to stop. “Using Aiden as a political tool is, to say the least, reprehensible for any political purpose,” Clark said.
The claim that Aidan was murdered is one of many unsubstantiated claims that Republicans are spreading about Haitian immigrants. The most absurd is the rumor that Haitian immigrants in Springfield are eating ducks and cats as pets.
“They can spew all the hate they want about illegal immigrants, the border crisis, and even make false claims about furry pets being raped and eaten by members of the community, but they are not allowed and have never been allowed to name Aiden Clark of Springfield, Ohio,” Clark said before asking Trump and Vance to apologize.
