An aerial still of Springfield, a city in southwestern Ohio, on a clear day in fall. The city of 58,000 people has had an influx of Haitian immigrants who are legally authorized to live and work in the U.S. (Getty image)
There has been no worse recent example of spurious anti-immigrant rhetoric than the claims, by Donald Trump and his running mate JD Vance, that Haitian immigrants are kidnapping and eating domestic pets in Springfield, Ohio. Spurious because this is false, and also because it is contradictory to our basic founding values: That all men are created equal, and that they have a right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Which is just what the immigrants – legally here – are seeking in Springfield.
Most recently, J.D. Vance conceded that the story was not true, but said he kept telling it anyway. This is less shocking than it might seem, because the rumor matches a pattern of racist, xenophobic, fear mongering here and in other countries.
The statement about stealing the dogs and cats of “people who live here” and eating them is worse than simply anti-immigration sloganeering. It is part of a history of what are, essentially, blood libels, which accuse one group of being the cause of harm, physical or moral, to the dominant culture.
For thousands of years, various versions of the myth that Jews kill Christian children and use their blood has been promulgated by those who hoped to create murderous rage against the Jews. This persists because it tends to work, as it allows the accusers to feel victimized, and to dehumanize the “others,” justifying violence. Also, likely, because it taps into, and makes toxic, a very ancient impulse to allow oneself to care deeply only about those in one’s tribe, cohort, or group. Here is a seemingly benign example from the flip side: My grandmother used to scan the lists of names of victims published after a disaster to see if she needed to be sad. No Jewish names, no tragedy. We see many elements of this kind of thinking today, and how the results are not so benign.
J.D. Vance conceded that the story was not true, but said he kept telling it anyway. This is less shocking than it might seem.
Haitians have also been subjected to over two centuries of unwarranted prejudices. Following a revolution in the early years of the 19th century which threw off the shackles of slavery and created the first Black-led nation in the modern Atlantic world, the white, European, slave-holding world was terrified and angry. The myth that Haitians were uncivilized and savage was born. Haiti, and Haitians, were in many ways, re-shackled by this widespread and malicious slur, and by the international interventions that this perception allowed. There is no doubt that racism plays and played a role. France had a bloody, chaotic and savage revolution only a short time before, and the world did not excoriate the French in the same way.
These days, politicians are the usual culprits when this starts, as they benefit from the fear and disruption that results. Especially when, as is the case with the truly odious Trump and Vance, making white people afraid of Black immigrants will get them elected into power, or so they think.
There is no doubt that an influx of immigrants, particularly large numbers with cultural and language differences, can cause some levels of dissonance where they settle. Our governments, locally and nationally, are finding it hard to process and accommodate all of the immigrants and refugees who are arriving. The mayor of Springfield, Ohio, is struggling with this, and wisely is asking for help, not hate.
This problem is exacerbated, unfortunately, by the lack of a comprehensive national policy on immigration. The anti-immigrant sentiment that some are working hard to gin up perpetuates the problem. Why create a workable system to integrate and assimilate new arrivals when they are savages and criminals who should not be allowed in?
The evidence is that in spite of the difficulties, immigrants continue to be an important source of economic, artistic, social and cultural vibrancy in America. Including in Springfield. We have a history of making an effort to support new arrivals as they become Americans. We should certainly feel compelled to get better at it now. The alternative, refusing entry to, or worse yet, mass deportation of those who are fleeing injustice, violence, and the lack of opportunity, is in direct conflict with our history and our ideals.
It is about as anti-American as it gets.
GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX