Haitian Group Files Criminal Charges Against Trump And Vance—Urges Arrest Warrants For Spreading False Claims
by Molly Bohannon · ForbesTopline
A Haitian advocacy organization filed private criminal charges Tuesday against former President Donald Trump and his running mate Sen. JD Vance, asking a judge to order their arrest for allegedly disrupting public services and making false alarms after repeating false claims about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio.
Key Facts
The charges were filed by the Haitian Bridge Alliance’s co-founder and executive director, Guerline Jozef, under an Ohio statute that allows private citizens to do so.
The filing alleges “if anyone else had done what they have done, to the devastating effect experienced in Springfield, police and prosecutors would have filed charges by now.”
An affidavit for private criminal charges can be filed by a citizen in Ohio and asks the court it was filed in to either issue arrest warrants or refer the matter to a prosecutor for investigation, according to Ohio law.
The charges stem from Vance and Trump continuously spreading false rumors about Haitian migrants stealing and eating pets in Springfield—despite city and state officials asking them to stop and saying there is no evidence of such claims.
The Alliance alleges Vance and Trump disrupted public service, made false alarms, committed telecommunications harassment, committed aggravating menacing and violated the complicity statute.
The Alliance is requesting the court issue arrest warrants for Trump and Vance based on probable cause, and the court must hold a hearing before rejecting the affidavit, according to Chandra Law Firm, which is representing the group.
Forbes has reached out to the Haitian Bridge Alliance for comment.
Big Number
33. That’s how many bomb threats Springfield, Ohio, has received in the weeks following Vance and Trump’s amplification of the false rumors about migrants, according to the suit. A number of schools and other public buildings have been evacuated or closed as a result.
Chief Critic
Steven Chueng, spokesperson for Trump, told Forbes in a statement Trump is “rightfully highlighting the failed immigration system that Kamala Harris has overseen, bringing thousands of illegal immigrants pouring into communities like Springfield and many others across the country.” He added: “President Trump will secure our border and put an end to the chaos that illegal immigration brings to our communities.”
Crucial Quote
“Over the last two weeks, both Trump and Vance led an effort to vilify and threaten the Haitian community in Springfield, Ohio,” the affidavit from Jozef reads. “Together, they spread and amplified the debunked claim that Haitians immigrants in Springfield are eating cats, dogs, and wildlife.”
Key Background
Vance first amplified the claim—which appeared to originate from a Facebook post—earlier this month, and Trump repeated them in his first presidential debate with Harris, saying immigrants in Springfield were “eating the cats” and “eating the dogs.” After the debate, Springfield schools and buildings like City Hall and the Bureau of Motor Vehicles began to receive bomb threats, leading a number of them to be evacuated or temporarily close. The threats were so disruptive to schools that Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced troopers from the Ohio State Highway Patrol would be stationed at Springfield City School District schools to add protection and limit the disruptions. Springfield has seen an influx of Haitian migrants in recent years, many of whom came to the U.S. legally to work using a temporary federal program. Many were drawn to Springfield because there were plenty of open jobs and a low cost of living, The New York Times reported, and DeWine has said members of the Haitian community “are very good workers” and improving the Springfield economy.