Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, the Republican vice presidential candidate, said Harris was more focused on calling the people of Springfield, Ohio, “racists” than on “getting rid of open borders.”
Vance was asked about the recent controversy in Springfield during Sunday morning shows on CNN, NBC and CBS, where residents have pointed to an influx of about 20,000 Haitian immigrants into the small town of about 58,000 people since the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to increased crime, chaos and traffic accidents.
Residents attending the city council meeting alleged that Haitians kill and eat ducks and geese in the park, as well as pet cats and dogs — unverified claims that Vance has made on social media, and that former President Trump repeated during last week’s Philadelphia presidential debate.
“I trust my constituents more than the American media, which didn’t care what was going on in Springfield until they started sharing cat memes online. It’s embarrassing that the American media ignored this town,” Vance told NBC’s “Meet the Press” host Kristin Welker. “And the most important part is that Kamala Harris’ open borders have caused Springfield’s housing prices to skyrocket, its crime rate to skyrocket, its disease rate to skyrocket. They’ve put 20,000 immigrants in a town of 40,000, and that’s caused a lot of social problems.”
Welker cited officials in Springfield and Dayton, Ohio, who said there was “no evidence” that immigrants were eating park animals or pets, and that recent threats of violence in Springfield made the closure necessary. The NBC host also cited Vance’s 2016 comments accusing Trump of making “people I care about” afraid.
Critics demand the Times apologize for an ‘inciting violence’ column that accused JD Vance of ‘blood and soil nationalism’.
“This week in Springfield, a building was locked down because of a bomb threat. Haitian immigrants say their lives are in danger. Senator, aren’t you doing something that is reprehensible?” Welker asked.
Senator J.D. Vance attends a charity day hosted by the Cantor Fitzgerald Relief Fund at BGC Group in New York City on September 11, 2024. (Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images for Cantor Fitzgerald Relief Fund)
“First of all, Kristin, we condemn any act of violence and any threat of violence. But Kristin, the reason I changed my mind about Donald Trump is because of what’s happening in Springfield, and the media and the Kamala Harris campaign are calling the people of Springfield racist,” Vance said. “They’ve lied about them. They’ve said they fabricated this report about immigrants eating goose. And they’ve completely ignored the public health disaster that’s happening in Springfield right now.”
“Donald Trump is the only person who has put Springfield in the national spotlight, and he’s the only president who’s fighting for the people of Springfield, not just for their right to be safe in their community, but also to complain about what’s going on in their community,” Vance added. “I think it’s shameful that Kamala Harris has taken those complaints and instead of actually doing something to make their lives better by opening up our borders, she’s decided to call people racist.”
“We don’t blame the Haitian immigrants coming to Springfield,” he said. “We blame Kamala Harris for opening up our southern border and inviting 20,000 of them to come to a small town in Ohio.”
Fox News Digital reached out to the Harris campaign for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
During a heated debate on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Vance said he would “fact check” host Dana Bash’s comments after she failed to clarify why Haitians are “legally” in the United States.
People watch as police investigate at Springfield City Hall after a bomb threat was made against the building in the early morning hours of September 12, 2024. (Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images)
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“You said all these immigrants are in this country legally. They’re in this country through what’s called Temporary Protected Status. That’s when Kamala Harris waved her magic wand and took these people and gave them legal status,” Vance said. “That doesn’t mean they’re here legally. That’s a terrible indictment of her amnesty policy that has further opened up her borders.”
In June, the Biden-Harris administration announced that approximately 300,000 Haitians already in the United States are now eligible for temporary legal status to remain and work in the United States, as the Department of Homeland Security determined that the situation in the conflict-torn Caribbean nation was unsafe for them to return. The decision represents a major expansion of Temporary Protected Status for Haitians who were in the United States on June 3 and will last until February 3, 2026. Anyone arriving after June 3 is not eligible. DHS also extended Temporary Protected Status to approximately 200,000 Haitians who already had Temporary Protected Status.
On CBS’ “Face the Nation,” Vance also broached the topic of temporary protected status when host Margaret Brennan asked Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine whether he would push for federal assistance.
Clark County Heritage Center in Springfield, Ohio, Wednesday, September 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Paul Vernon)
“Margaret, the most important thing we can do to help Governor DeWine and the entire state of Ohio, and frankly the entire country, is to stop Kamala Harris from having open borders. And that’s exactly what I’ve been fighting for for two years. You have to ask yourself, Margaret, why are these 20,000 Haitian immigrants being dumped in a small town in Ohio in just a few short years?” Vance said.
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“And the answer is that Kamala Harris has implemented Temporary Protective Services for over 100,000 Haitian immigrants. She’s basically taken a magic wand and granted amnesty to thousands of people who should not be in this country, and now a small town in Ohio is suffering the consequences,” the senator continued. “And to everyone listening, Margaret, this is what Kamala Harris wants to do to every town in this country: overwhelm them with migration, strain their local budgets, and watch the pandemic grow. If we allow Kamala Harris’s open border policies to continue, what’s happening in Springfield will spread to every town and city in this country. We have to stop this. American citizens are suffering because of what she’s done.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
