SPRINGFIELD, Ohio (AP) — For many Haitian immigrants, Sunday mornings in Springfield, Ohio, are spent joyfully worshiping God, singing and praying in their native Creole language. This Sunday, they needed that uplifting balm more than ever.
Their community is reeling—confused, frustrated, hurt—from false accusations that they eat their neighbors’ cats and dogs. The now viral, highly politicized rumors are fueled by former President Donald Trump, his running mate J.D. Vance, and others, and violent threats against the community are disrupting daily life in their city.
“Jesus is with us in truth, and the truth is that Haitians don’t eat pets and geese in Springfield,” said the Rev. Carl Ruby, preaching at Central Christian Church. He invited community members to join his congregation in prayer and peaceful protest against the false rumors being spread about their Haitian neighbors.
They also demanded an apology.
“It is true that retracting these rumors will help restore peace to Springfield,” Ruby said. “We call on all politicians and media figures spreading this rumor to make Springfield great and safe again by speaking the truth about our community.”
Viles Dorsainvil, leader of the Haitian Community Help and Support Center in Springfield, accepted Ruby’s invitation to pray together at Central Christian and was grateful that he could rely on his faith.
“It’s important to be here because we’re Christians — despite everything, we worship in good times and bad,” he said. “I’m relieved to be in the presence of God. It’s therapeutic.”
And he had a message for Trump and Vance: “If they have the heart of God, they will think differently and speak differently.”
The rumors, spread on social media and by Trump during Tuesday’s televised presidential debate with Vice President Kamala Harris, have heightened fears of division and anti-immigrant sentiment ahead of the election in the predominantly white, working-class city of about 59,000, where more than 15,000 Haitians now live and work.
Thousands of temporary Haitian migrants have landed legally in Springfield in recent years through the U.S. Temporary Protected Status program, after ongoing unrest in their home country led to violent gangs ruling the streets.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, has said the federal government needs to do more to help cities like Springfield handle the influx of migrants. On ABC’s “This Week,” DeWine called Haitians good, hardworking people who are in the U.S. legally, and said the false rumors are a piece of Internet garbage.
“There is absolutely no evidence for that,” he said during the program.
Despite the governor and local officials denying the rumors, Vance reiterated the conspiracy theory on Sunday’s CBS program Face the Nation while criticizing Harris for her U.S.-Mexico border policies.
At Central Christian Church, Ruby encouraged his congregation to distribute thousands of cards in Springfield, printed in Creole and English, with a message of support for Haitians. Each one read, “I’m glad you’re here. Christ loves you and so do I.”
As the service drew to a close, Ruby praised the parishioners for a beautiful moment in the midst of what he called a storm of chaos. He looked at the Haitian members in the first pew and the rest of his congregation and asked them to come together in prayer: “Pray and think about what it’s like to be a Haitian parent sending your child off to school this week.”
One of those parents is Mia Perez, a 35-year-old immigration attorney whose 9-year-old daughter was forced to walk out of school twice this week because of bomb threats at a nearby DMV.
“Kids at school get asked by other kids, ‘How does dog taste? How does cat taste?’” Perez said, describing her daughter’s plight.
“She asks, ‘Are we the kind of Haitians who eat this kind of stuff? Is it true? What’s going on?’”
“This is a conversation I wasn’t ready to have with my daughter,” Perez said. “I felt disrespected by our culture.”
Among those attending Sunday’s service at Central Christian was Rose-Thamar Joseph, 40, who works at the Haitian Community Center.
“I prayed for peace and protection — for the Haitian community and all of Springfield,” she said. “I just want Springfield to go back to the way it was a few months ago.”
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