WASHINGTON — Today, representatives from America’s Voice, alongside national leaders from Haitian, progressive, African-American, Asian-American, Latino, and Jewish organizations, held a video conference call for reporters urging political leaders to stop spreading lies that incite violence, including the recent attacks on Haitian communities in Springfield, Ohio that are based on falsehoods.
On the press call, the leaders also connected the lies and calls for violence coming from elected leaders and candidates with the history of racism and xenophobia that has targeted different groups at different moments in American history but are always intended to divide Americans against each other.
On the call, the leaders denounced the specific attacks on Haitians and the broader climate of political violence that results from deploying lies and conspiracy theories to mobilize voters.
Guerline Jozef, Executive Director and Co-Founder, Haitian Bridge Alliance said: “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, CEO of the Center for American Progress Action Fund: “This is a pathetic political strategy to prey on innocent people by using them as pawns to stoke fear and division — at a time when they’d rather be not talking about their failings across the board. They rely on the oldest play in the book that authoritarians always summon — which is hatred, fear, division, and terrorism.”
Janet Murguía, President and CEO of UnidosUS said: “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, National Urban League said: “This attack underscores why the issue of immigration in America is not simply an issue of one community or another. We know what this is. It’s an effort to divide and demagogue, create paranoia and fear. It’s an old American tactic. It’s been refreshed by [Trump]. It’s been refreshed in this era and we have to say no, not on our watch.”
Aarti Kohli, Executive Director, Asian Law Caucus, said: “Asian and Asian American communities are fully aware of the consequences of hateful rhetoric. For too long, immigrant communities have been scapegoated and subjected to abhorrent acts of violence from the right, including the most recent targeting of Black and Haitian immigrants. At this moment, we need to come together to ensure that we can safely turn out the vote and mobilize our power at the ballot box. If we want this harmful rhetoric to stop, we need to elect leaders who will come together to address the real concerns of Americans, including good jobs, housing and community safety.”
Rachel Laforest, Chief Campaign Officer, Bend The Arc: Jewish Action said: “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.”
Vanessa Cárdenas, Executive Director, America’s Voice: “Political leaders are sowing fear, chaos, and instability in our democracy, and cultivating mistrust, not just in our institutions, but in one another. This has to stop and all Americans must reject this for the sake of our unity, our collective safety, and our democracy. When it comes to immigration or any other issue, we can, should, and have differences in policy, argue, debate, and make changes. But that is not what is being served by Trump, Vance, and other extremists who would say anything to further agitate their base and others who are listening. There is a stark choice facing America in the coming weeks and months and we must reject the hate and hold leaders accountable for their words and actions.”
