This press release originally appeared in America's Voice.

Washington, DC — Local and national voices representing a broad array of political ideologies and backgrounds have been speaking out against the lies, conspiracies, and potential dangers of anti-immigrant rhetoric and actions, including and especially the lies directed at Haitian immigrants in places like Springfield, Ohio. First, there were the lies about stealing and eating pets, followed by claims that Haitian immigrants were diseased, in the country illegally, and a drain on the economy, followed by a refusal to correct and targeting additional towns with the lying, which, not by coincidence, has energized neo-nazis spreading disinformation in Ohio.

According to America’s Voice legal advisor David Leopold, the Cleveland-based former President and Chief Counsel of the American Immigration Lawyers Association and Chair of immigration for UB Greensfelder [He is also the author of the recent Cleveland Plain Dealer op-ed, “Anti-Haitian blood libel has no place in Ohio”]:

“I am glad to see so many diverse voices coming to the defense of immigrants and their contributions to make America and Ohio stronger. The real immigration story in Ohio and in small towns and cities across America looks very different from the dark and dystopian story Donald Trump and JD Vance are trying to peddle. The real story is one of resilience and growth, with immigrants serving as rural doctors and essential workers during the pandemic; agriculture workers picking crops and transporting food to our tables; construction workers building homes, and Dreamers putting their talents to use in the communities they have long called home. They are Haitian factory workers in Springfield and biomedical researchers at Ohio’s world class medical research institutions in Cleveland. They are strengthening Ohio and this nation and it’s heartening to see the many voices from many backgrounds join in to denounce the ugliness distortions we’re hearing about Ohio and her immigrants.”

Among the voices pushing back:

• Ohio Governor Mike DeWine in a New York Times op-ed: “It is disappointing to me that Springfield has become the epicenter of vitriol over America’s immigration policy, because it has long been a community of great diversity … As a supporter of former President Donald Trump and Senator JD Vance, I am saddened by how they and others continue to repeat claims that lack evidence and disparage the legal migrants living in Springfield. This rhetoric hurts the city and its people, and it hurts those who have spent their lives there.”
• Local Republican elected officials in Ohio and Pennsylvania as captured by NBC News:
  • Rob Rue, mayor of Springfield, OH: “We’ve seen 8,500 jobs come here over the last 10 years … We’re seeing houses come online over the next five years, about 2,000 houses. Those are things to brag on for a city like ours and those are things we need to be talking about.”
  • Camera Bartolotta, Republican State Senator in PA: “I know the story of my neighborhood town, and I know the plight that a lot of these people escaped. I know what the kids are going through … To see how the issue was being twisted and these individuals were being maligned and threatened and completely misunderstood, I felt it necessary [to speak out], because I represent everyone in my district, even those people who are there on work visas and are doing their best to raise their families.”
• Catholic Bishops in Ohio: “As the residents of Springfield, Ohio, struggle with violent threats and life disruptions fueled by unfettered social media posts, we exhort the Catholic faithful and all people of goodwill not to perpetuate ill will toward anyone involved based on unfounded gossip … Instead, we ask for prayers and support for all the people of Springfield as they integrate their new Haitian neighbors and build a better future together.”
• A letter from the Ohio Council of Churches: “We are disturbed and outraged by the reports that have masqueraded as news regarding many of our siblings in Springfield, Ohio … Public and prominent figures have intentionally crafted untruths that have assaulted the culture and character of Haitians residing in Springfield.”
• Various national leaders on a video conference call condemning anti-immigrant extremism, such as:
  • Guerline Jozef, Executive Director and Co-Founder, Haitian Bridge Alliance: “It is imperative that we come together and push back against false narratives, ensuring safety and protection for those being targeted in Springfield, particularly in the Haitian community. We have people in power using created misinformation and weaponizing it to inflict pain, to terrorize not just Haitians, but Black America and all marginalized communities. Using people’s lives as political pawns. I’ve personally received threats—emails calling me the N-word, telling me to ‘go back to Haiti,’ and phone calls accusing Haitian and other Black immigrants of bringing diseases to places like Boston.”
  • Patrick Gaspard, a Haitian American who is President and CEO of the Center for American Progress Action: “This is a pathetic political strategy by using them as pawns to stoke fear and division…”
  • Janet Murguía, President and CEO of UnidosUS: “We stand in solidarity with the Haitian community in Springfield, Ohio and condemn in the strongest possible terms the outrageous, racist and vicious targeting of this community by leaders who knowingly and professedly use lies to hurt the immigrant community. Their purpose is clear – to dehumanize immigrants to justify their draconian immigration schemes. The consequences of these actions are violence, which we have already seen in the dozens of bomb threats across the city, and the Latino community understands this all too well as we lived through the El Paso shooting in 2019 simply because the state’s leaders told lies about an alleged ‘invasion of Mexicans.’ We applaud the Governor of Ohio and the Mayor of Springfield for coming to the defense of their constituents and we call on voters to hold candidates and leaders accountable with the most powerful tool we have: our vote.”
  • Marc Morial, President and CEO of the National Urban League: “We know what this is: create paranoia and fear. It’s an old American tactic. It has been refreshed…in this era and we have to say ‘no, not on our watch.’”
  • Aarti Kohli, Executive Director, Asian Law Caucus: “So, let’s be clear. When politicians choose to intimidate community members through violence and silence our voices…they’re using a well known playbook to distract us from coming together for solutions we need.
  • Rachèl Laforest, Chief Campaign Officer, Bend The Arc: Jewish Action: “We see your attempts to divide us when we all have so much more to gain, when we stay together. Because of Trump’s advances, racist, and xenophobic propaganda, Haitian Ohioans and Haitians throughout the country are once again in danger and living in fear… We know, together that none of us are safe—until all of us are safe—and at Bend The Arc we will do everything we can to stick together, organize, and realize this democracy.”