'One of the oldest racist tropes': Ohio city rocked by Trump's false claims of migrants eating pets

HIS MEMORY -- WE CAN'T EVEN PROTECT HIS MEMORY WHEN HE'S GONE. >> WITH US NOW MORE FROM SPRINGFIELD, OHIO. THE MSNBC ANALYST AND HOST OF "MORNINGS WITH ZERLINA" ON SIRIUS X.M. AND PROGRESSIVE MEETING FOR THE CLINTON CAMPAIGN. YOU'RE THERE, WHAT'S THE COMMUNITY LIKE? >> Reporter: WELL, GOOD MORNING, JOSE. HERE IN SPRINGFIELD, OHIO, THE TENSION REALLY IS PALPABLE. AS MANY AS 15,000ATIONSES MOVE TO THE CITY OF ABOUT 60,000 PEOPLE OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS ACCORDING TO STATE OFFICIALS. THAT'S BECAUSE LOCAL OFFICIALS WERE ADVERTISING THE CITY'S AFFORDABILITY AS WELL AS NEW MANUFACTURING JOBS. SO PEOPLE CAME HERE TO HAVE A BETTER LIFE, AND NOW THEY'RE REELING AND REALLY SAD AND SHOCKED BY THESE BASELESS ALLEGATIONS BEING MADE AGAINST THEM. CITY OFFICIALS SAID THERE'S NO EVIDENCE OF THESE CLAIMS. BUT HAITIAN IMMIGRANTS NOW WHO FLED INSECURITY IN HAITI ARE NOW FEELING UNSAFE ON THESE STREETS, TELLING ME THIS IS TRAUMA ON TOP OF TRAUMA. LISTEN TO WHAT ONE HAITIAN IMMIGRANT TOLD ME. >> IT'S HARD ON THEM. IT'S HARD ON THEM BECAUSE THEY HAVE TO DEAL TO GET A JOB, TO SETTLE DOWN, TO HEAR ALL THOSE FALSE ACCUSATION, IT'S A REAL -- I CAN TELL YOU IT'S REALLY HARD ON THEM. THEY ARE BEING MORE TRAUMATIZED. >> Reporter: AND I TALKED TO ONE MAN WHO SAID HE'S REALLY FEARING HARASSMENT BECAUSE HIS CO-WORKERS IN HIS CONSTRUCTION JOB THAT HE HAS LEGALLY HAVE BEEN CONTINUOUSLY ASKING IF HE EATS CATS. IT'S MAKING HIM DEPRESSED, HE TOLD ME. I DID TALK TO A LONGTIME RESIDENT, A MAN WHO HELPS MANAGE A FACEBOOK GROUP DEDICATED TO SAYING THEY WANT TO STOP IN THESE INFLUX OF HAITIAN IMMIGRANTS. I ASKED HIM SPECIFICALLY WHAT HE WOULD SAY TO HAITIAN IMMIGRANTS WHO SAY THEY'RE HERE TO TRY TO REVITALIZE SPRINGFIELD, OHIO. TAKE A LISTEN TO WHAT HE TOLD ME TO RESPONSE. >> THAT'S NOT WHAT'S HAPPENING FOR SPRINGFIELD. IT MIGHT HAPPEN FOR THEM, IT MIGHT HAPPEN FOR THE LANDLORDS THAT ARE ENRICHING THEMSELVES, THE CITY MANAGER WHO'S TRYING TO PAD HIS BUDGET WITH MORE FEDERAL DEFENSE SPENDING. BUT IT'S HARMING, AGAIN, THE POOR AND WORKING CLASS PEOPLE IN THIS TOWN. >> Reporter: NOW THAT RESIDENT SAID HE BELIEVED THAT THESE BASELESS CLAIMS ARE CREDIBLE. HE ALSO TOLD ME HE BLAMES THE CITY FOR NOT HAVING ENOUGH RESOURCES TO HELP OUT WITH THE MEDICAL NEEDS AND THE SOCIAL SERVICES NEEDS OF HAITIAN IMMIGRANTS. WE KNOW CITY OFFICIALS HAVE ASKED FOR MORE RESOURCES TO HELP THIS POPULATION THAT IS GROWING AND CHANGING. REALLY A LOT OF TENSION HERE AND HEARTBREAK. >> YOU KNOW, YAMICHE, AGAIN, YOU KNOW -- IF YOU EVER WANT TO MEET AN HONEST, HARD WORKING, EXTRAORDINARY PEOPLE THAT COME TO GIVE AND NOT TO TAKE, IT'S THE HAITIAN COMMUNITY IN THIS COUNTRY. I'M JUST WONDERING HOW IS THE HAITIAN COMMUNITY AND THOSE 60,000 PEOPLE THAT WERE THERE AND HAVE SEEN THIS INFLUX OF EXTRAORDINARY PEOPLE, HOW IS THAT BOND GOING? >> Reporter: IT'S REALLY INTERESTING BECAUSE I -- HAITIAN IMMIGRANTS HERE TOLD ME THAT THEY CAME TO SPRINGFIELD AND ACTUALLY FELT WELCOMED BY A LOT OF PEOPLE. THEY FELT LIKE PEOPLE WERE HAPPY TO HAVE THEM HERE. THERE WERE A LOT OF JOB OPENINGS HERE, AND PEOPLE WERE BEING NICE TO THEM. AND NOW, OF COURSE, THEY'RE THRUST INTO THIS CONSPIRACY THEORY AND REALLY ARE NOW PART OF THIS SORT OF NATIONAL DEBATE ON IMMIGRATION. SO THERE'S NOW BEEN THIS TENSION THAT'S BEEN SORT OF THRUST UPON THEM. THERE ARE RESIDENTS WHO DON'T WANT TO SEE HAITIAN IMMIGRANTS HERE. BUT THERE ARE A LOT INCLUDING ONE MAN I TALKED TO WHO SAID HE'S VOTING FOR DONALD TRUMP BUT SAID IF THE HAITIANS ARE HERE LEGALLY HE DOESN'T HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THEM. HE DID TELL ME, THOUGH, HE'S WORRIED ABOUT WHAT THIS WILL MEAN FOR THE FUTURE BECAUSE HE'S SAYING IF DONALD TRUMP GETS ELECTED, IF FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP IS BACK IN OFFICE AND HE TAKES AWAY THE LEGAL STATUS OF THESE HAITIANS, WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN THEN? HE AS SOMEONE WHO'S NOT -- A REPUBLICAN WHO'S NOT REALLY IN FAVOR, FRANKLY, OF HAVING HAITIANS HERE, HE'S SAYING AS LONG AS THEY'RE RESPECTFUL I'M HAPPY TO BE HERE. THERE ARE OF COURSE OTHERS INCLUDING HAITIAN IMMIGRANTS WHO ARE THINKING ABOUT LEAVING. SOME OF SAYING I DON'T FEEL SAFE, I DON'T FEEL COMFORTABLE HERE. THE PLACE THAT I CAME, WHAT I WAS TOLD WAS GOING TO BE A CITY WELCOMING ME IS TURNING AGAINST ME. IT'S REALLY I THINK IN SOME WAYS A HARD FUTURE TO LOOK FORWARD TO WHEN YOU THINK OF SORT OF THE WAY FORWARD IN THIS PLACE. JOSE? >> YEAH. I MEAN, THEY'RE THERE LEGALLY BECAUSE THEY ARE PART OF THE THOUSANDS OF HAITIANS WHO HAVE BEEN GRANTED TPS. >> Reporter: THAT'S RIGHT. AND THEY OF COURSE -- THERE'S ALSO A PAROLE PROGRAM THAT WAS STARTED UNDER PRESIDENT BIDEN. SO THERE ARE A LOT OF HAITIANS COMING FROM HAITI OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS BECAUSE AS YOU'VE COVERED ON YOUR SHOW AND AS I'VE COVERED, HAITI'S HAD A LOT OF PROBLEMS INCLUDING GANG VIOLENCE AND INSECURITY. AND PART OF WHAT -- IF WE HAVE THAT CLIP OF J.D. VANCE, BUT IF WE COULD, WE'D PLAY IT. THERE IS A QUESTION OF WHY IS THIS CONTINUOUSLY BEING TALKED ABOUT, IF WE COULD PLAY IT. >> WHAT DO YOU SAY TO HAITIAN AMERICANS AND HAITIAN IMMIGRANTS WHO SAY SPREADING FALSE CLAIMS ABOUT THEM PUT THEIR LIVES AT RISK? >> WELL, I DON'T THINK THAT -- NO ONE HAS SPREAD FALSE CLAIMS. WHAT THEY'VE SAID IS THAT A SMALL MIGRANT COMMUNITY, 20,000, SO IT'S BIG FOR THE CITY OF SPRINGFIELD, BUT IT'S SMALL COMPARED TO ALL HAITIANS IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, THAT THAT SMALL MIGRANT COMMUNITY HAS CAUSED A LOT OF PROBLEMS. THE CITY MANAGER SAID THERE'S NO VERIFIABLE EVIDENCE. A LOT OF RESIDENTS ON THE GROUND HAVE SAID THAT THERE IS. THAT JUST MEANS THE CITY MANAGER I THINK ISN'T FULLY IN TOUCH WITH WHAT'S GOING ON THE GROUND THERE. >> Reporter: AGAIN, NOW THAT I'VE BEEN TALKING TO PEOPLE WHO ARE FULLY IN TOUCH WITH WHAT'S GOING ON THE GROUND, CITY OFFICIALS CONTINUE TO SAY THERE'S NO EVIDENCE. AS YOU SAID, PEOPLE ARE HERE LEGALLY, BUT THE REAL QUESTION IS WHETHER THEY'RE GOING TO STAY HERE BECAUSE THERE'S A REAL HEARTBREAK HERE, A LOT OF PEOPLE SAYING I DON'T WANT TO BE PART OF A TOWN THAT'S A PLACE WHERE I MIGHT BE TARGETED BY BASELESS CLAIMS SPREAD BY J.D. VANCE AND FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP. JOSE? >> YEAH. AND CARLOS, LET'S TALK ABOUT WHAT EXACTLY IS THE FORMER PRESIDENT DOING FOCUSING ON THIS WHATEVER YOU WANT TO CALL IT -- THAT PART OF THE HAITIAN DIASPORA IN OHIO IS, YOU KNOW, EATING PEOPLE'S PETS? WHAT'S -- WHAT IS THIS ALL ABOUT, CARLOS? >> WELL, JOSE, WE'VE TALKED A LOT ON THIS SHOW ABOUT HOW IMMIGRATION IS A WEAK ISSUE FOR THE BIDEN-HARRIS ADMINISTRATION. WE'VE SEEN A LOT OF POLLING THAT CERTAINLY INDICATES THAT. THE PROBLEM NOW IS THAT DONALD TRUMP IS GOING FROM BEING ON OFFENSE ON THE ISSUE OF IMMIGRATION TO BEING OFFENSIVE WHEN IT COMES TO THE ISSUE OF IMMIGRATION. I THINK MOST AMERICANS SUPPORT A TOUGHER APPROACH TO BORDER SECURITY. THEY REJECT A LOT OF WHAT WE'VE SEEN AT THE SOUTHWEST BORDER OVER THE LAST 3.5 YEARS. BUT MOST AMERICANS, PARTICULARLY SWING VOTERS, JOSE, DO NOT SUPPORT DEHUMANIZING IMMIGRANTS, DO NOT SUPPORT DEHUMANIZING PEOPLE WHO, AS YOU SAID, AND YOU AND I KNOW THE HAITIAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY VERY WELL BECAUSE WHEREVER WE LIVE -- >> DO WE EVER. >> THESE ARE PEOPLE COMING TO THE COUNTRY TO CONTRIBUTE. THEY ARE HUMBLE. THEY WANT TO WORK. NOW OF COURSE THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT IT'S OKAY FOR PEOPLE TO COME INTO THE COUNTRY ILLEGALLY OR WITHOUT AUTHORIZATION. BUT THIS IS WHERE DONALD TRUMP GOES TOO FAR, ENDS UP HURTING HIMSELF, AND ENDS UP DIVIDING THE COUNTRY IN A VERY DANGEROUS WAY. >> YEAH, AND ZELINA, SO HOW DOES VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS AND THE ORGANIZATION COUNTER THIS? >> POLICIES THAT ADDRESS -- >> SORRY, COULDN'T HEAR YOU FOR A SECOND. YOU'RE BACK ON. >> OKAY. THE HARRIS CAMPAIGN CAN FOCUS ON SOME OF THE POLICY SOLUTIONS TO THE ISSUES THAT CARLOS OUTLINED. BUT I WILL SAY IT PLAIN AS DAY. NO ONE HAS SAID THE WORD RACISM IN THIS SEGMENT, AND I THINK THAT WE NEED TO. WE NEED TO CALL IT WHAT IT IS. WHAT DONALD TRUMP IS DOING IS TRAFFICKING IN ONE OF THE OLDEST RACIST TROPES ABOUT IMMIGRANT COMMUNITIES AND THE TYPES -- THE FOODS THAT THEY EAT. HE'S GOING WAY TOO FAR IN SAYING THEY'RE EATING PETS, RIGHT? AND IT MAKES THE INTERNET GO CRAZY, AND A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE MAKING MEMES. BUT THE CORE OF THE LIE IS RACISM PLAIN AND SIMPLE. WE NEED TO CALL IT THAT. IT'S BEEN NORMALIZED BECAUSE DONALD TRUMP HAS USED THIS KIND OF RHETORIC FOR THE LAST NINE YEARS. BUT IT'S REALLY, REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE CALL IT WHAT IT IS. BECAUSE IT'S LEAVING TO BULLYING AND THE MISTREATMENT OF ACTUAL BLACK PEOPLE, HAITIAN MIGRANTS, YES, WHO ARE HERE LEGALLY, AND IT'S PUTTING PEOPLE'S LIVES IN DANGER. WE NEED TO CALL IT WHAT IT IS. >> YEAH, AND CARLOS, I MEAN, AND -- YOU PUT IT -- FROM GOING TO OFFENSE TO BECOMING OFFENSIVE, THERE DOESN'T HAVE TO BE THAT CORRELATION. AND YET IT'S ON THE OFFENSIVE, BE OFFENSIVE TO PEOPLE. CARLOS, HOW DO YOU FIGHT BACK AGAINST THAT? >> I THINK THE IMPORTANT THING IS TO HIGHLIGHT THE TRUTH. WHAT YAMICHE IS DOING IS A GREAT SERVICE TO THE COUNTRY BECAUSE SHE'S OUT THERE ON THE GROUND AND SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT. AS OF NOW WE HAVE FOUND NO EVIDENCE THAT ANY OF THIS IS TRUE. AND THEN I THINK THE OTHER THING WE ALL NEED TO DO, REPUBLICAN, DEMOCRAT, INDEPENDENT, ALL AMERICANS IS REJECT THIS KIND OF RHETORIC. WE CAN HAVE POLICY DISAGREEMENTS, AS I SAID. IMMIGRATION IS AN ISSUE WHERE A LOT OF AMERICANS BELIEVE THE BIDEN-HARRIS ADMINISTRATION HAS FAILED. THEY HAVE TO ANSWER FOR THAT RECORD. NOW ONCE WE TAKE THAT TO AN EXTREME OF DEHUMANIZING PEOPLE, OF TRYING TO DEMONIZE PEOPLE FOR POLITICAL GAIN, TO DIVIDE THE COUNTRY FOR ONE'S BENEFIT, THAT'S JUST WRONG ACROSS THE BOARD NO MATTER WHO'S DOING IT. AND THIS IS YET ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF HOW DONALD TRUMP BECOMES HIS OWN WORST ENEMY. HE HAS TAKEN AN ISSUE WHERE REPUBLICANS HAVE HAD A POLITICAL ADVANTAGE FOR YEARS NOW, AND HE IS TURNING IT INTO A MAJOR DISADVANTAGE BECAUSE MOST AMERICANS CANNOT TOLERATE, CANNOT STOMACH THIS TYPE OF RHETORIC ABOUT HUMAN BEINGS. >> YEAH. I'M WONDERING, YAMICHE, YOU'RE THERE, WHAT DO YOU WANT US TO KNOW ABOUT WHAT YOU'VE SEEN AND WHAT YOU FELT? >> Reporter: WHAT I REALLY WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW ARE TWO THINGS. ONE IS THAT I'VE BEEN TALKING TO HAITIAN IMMIGRANTS, I'VE BEEN TALKING TO RESIDENTS HERE. THERE IS STILL NO CREDIBLE EVIDENCE THAT ANY OF THESE CLAIMS THAT HAITIAN IMMIGRANTS ARE ABUSING ANIMALS OR EATING ANIMALS, WE JUST NEED FACT CHECK THAT. I CAN TELL YOU AS SOMEONE WHO HAS SPENT NOW SEVERAL DAYS HERE, THAT THAT IS JUST NOT HAPPENING HERE. THE OTHER THING I WANT TO TELL YOU IS THAT THERE REALLY IS THIS TRAUMA ON TOP OF TRAUMA WHEN YOU TALK TO HAITIAN IMMIGRANTS HERE. THEY CALL THESE BASELESS CLAIMS RACIST, XENOPHOBIC, BUT THEY ALSO HAVE THIS TINGE OF REAL HEARTBREAK BECAUSE THEY'RE SAYING TO ME WE CAME HERE BECAUSE THEY ASKED US TO COME HERE. SPRINGFIELD WAS A PLACE THAT WAS LOSING POPULATION, GOING FROM 80,000 PEOPLE TO 60,000 PEOPLE. SO THEY WANTED PEOPLE TO MOVE HERE. THEY INVITED PEOPLE TO MOVE HERE. THESE HAITIAN IMMIGRANTS CAME HERE FOR A BETTER LIFE, BUT THEY'RE FILLING JOBS, THEY'RE HERE LEGALLY AND HERE TO BUILD A COMMUNITY AND TO ADD TO THEIR AMERICAN DREAMS. AND NOW THEY'RE WONDERING WHETHER OR NOT THAT AMERICAN DREAM IS BEING TAKEN AWAY THERE THEM BY REPUBLICANS, BY FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP AND SENATOR J.D. VANCE. THAT REALLY I THINK IS SOMETHING THAT MIGHT BE LOST IN THE SHUFFLE, HOW MUCH IT TAKES FOR SOMEONE TO START OVER, TO FLEE GANG VIOLENCE, TO LEAVE HAITI NOT OF THEIR OWN VOLITION, NOT BECAUSE THEY WANTED TO, BUT BECAUSE THEY HAD TO. TO COME HERE AND HAVE TO DEAL