Parents-to-be from Haiti stand at a gap in the U.S.-Mexico border wall after having traveled from South America to the United States in Yuma, Arizona. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)
With former President Donald Trump’s reelection Tuesday on an anti-immigrant platform, advocates across the country are worrying about what comes next. But an Ohio immigration advocate this week said President Joe Biden and the Democrats made things worse by playing Trump’s game.
One of the lowlights of the campaign was when, during his debate with Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump repeated false rumors that Haitians in Springfield were stealing and eating their neighbors’ pets. Trump’s running mate, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, kept repeating that lie even after Gov. Mike DeWine dispatched state Troopers to Springfield schools in the face of bomb threats.
In a statement issued after the Trump-Vance victory, Ohio Immigrant Alliance Director Lynn Tramonte said the Republican campaign used “immigration” as a code word for racial and economic anxiety in a changing, polarizing nation.
But, she said, Biden didn’t help matters by trying to act “tough” on the border. Stung by an increase in undocumented immigrants after covid-era restrictions expired, Biden implemented several measures to decrease their numbers — including support for a border bill that many immigrant-rights advocates saw as too punitive.
Trump successfully urged congressional Republicans to kill the deal in order to deny Biden a political victory. But Tramonte said damage was done to immigrants by that and other of Biden’s actions.
Democrats “tried to be the ‘lesser of two evils’ on immigration, instead of understanding migration for what it is — a human need to save your life and take care of your family. An act of courage and love,” Tramonte said.
She added, “The losing party doesn’t just have a ‘messaging’ problem. The Biden administration’s overall immigration policy was to act ‘tough’ and try to keep people out, instead of recognizing immigrants’ inherent humanity and helping communities welcome new residents. They had plenty of examples of community care in action to follow, and could have brought resources to the table for a short-term bridge, as well as a long-term commitment to ending housing insecurity for everyone.
“Instead they sent money to fund border militarization, border externalization, and genocide in other countries. The border bill strategy they thought was so clever only reinforced the other side’s racially coded frame.”
Demba Ndiath, the Immigrant Alliance’s advocacy director, tried to reassure Ohio immigrants.
“My message goes out to all immigrants in Ohio and beyond who are feeling scared and uncertain today,” he said in a statement. “We see you and we stand with you. My own family experienced the pain of deportation during the first Trump administration, when my uncle was torn from us. I know what it’s like to watch our elders, teachers, and community leaders being taken away from our mosques and our families. The fear you feel is real, and I understand it. But let me remind you that during the first Trump administration, the Ohio Immigrant Alliance stood strong with you, fighting every step of the way. Through that experience, we grew stronger and more determined.”
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