Haitians in Ohio find solidarity at church after chaotic week of false pet-eating claims

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For many Haitian immigrants, Sunday mornings in Springfield, Ohio, are spent joyfully worshipping God as they sing and pray in their native Creole. This Sunday, they needed that uplifting balm more than ever.

Their community is reeling – confused, frustrated, hurt – from false accusations that they are eating their neighbours’ cats and dogs. The now viral and highly politicized rumours are being fuelled by former president Donald Trump, his running mate JD Vance and others, and violent threats against the community are upending daily life in their city.

“Jesus is with us in truth, and the truth is that Haitians are not eating pets and geese in Springfield,” said the Rev. Carl Ruby, preaching at Central Christian Church. He invited community members to join his congregation in prayer and peaceful protest of the false rumours levelled against their Haitian neighbours.

They also demanded an apology.

“It is truth that a retraction of these rumours will help to restore peace in Springfield,” Father Ruby said. “We respectfully call on all politicians and media figures who are promoting this rumour to help make Springfield great and safe again by speaking the truth about our community.”

Viles Dorsainvil, the leader of Haitian Community Help and Support Center in Springfield, accepted Father Ruby’s invitation to worship together at Central Christian, and was grateful to be relying on his faith.

“It’s important to be here because we’re Christian – despite everything, we worship in good times and bad times,” he said. “I’m relieved that I’m in the presence of God. It’s therapeutic.”

Fact check: How a claim about immigrants eating pets went from a Facebook group to the presidential debate

And he had a message for Mr. Trump and Mr. Vance: “If they have the heart of God, they will think differently and speak differently.”

The rumours, spread on social media and by Mr. Trump during Tuesday’s televised presidential debate against Vice-President Kamala Harris, have exacerbated fears about division and anti-immigrant sentiment ahead of the election in the mostly white, blue-collar city of about 59,000 where more than 15,000 Haitians now live and work.

Thousands of temporary Haitian migrants have legally landed in Springfield in recent years under the U.S.’s Temporary Protected Status program, as long-standing unrest in their home country has given way to violent gangs ruling the streets.

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, a Republican, has said the federal government needs to do more to help cities like Springfield serve the influx of migrants. On ABC’s This Week, Mr. DeWine called the Haitians good, hard-working people who are in the U.S. legally, and said the false rumours are a piece of internet garbage.

“There’s no evidence of this at all,” he said during the program.

Despite the governor and local officials debunking the rumours, Mr. Vance reiterated the conspiracy theory on Sunday’s Face the Nation on CBS while blasting Ms. Harris on her U.S.-Mexico border policy.

At Central Christian Church, Father Ruby encouraged his congregation to help hand out thousands of cards around Springfield that had been printed in Creole and English with a message of support for Haitians. It reads “I’m glad you are here. Christ loves you and so do I.”

As the service ended, Father Ruby praised parishioners for a beautiful moment amid what he called a storm of chaos. Looking at the Haitian members in the first pew and at the rest of his congregation, he asked them to come together in prayer: “Pray and think what it is to be a Haitian parent sending their child this week to school.”

One of those parents is Mia Perez, 35 an immigration lawyer whose nine-year-old daughter had to evacuate her school twice because of bomb threats to a nearby DMV this week.

“Kids in school are being asked by other kids: ’How does the dog taste? How does the cat taste?” Ms. Perez said, describing her daughter’s distress.

“She’s asking, ’Are we the kind of Haitians who eat this kind of stuff? Is it true? What’s happening?’”

“This is a conversation that I was not ready to have with my daughter,” Ms. Perez said. “I felt disrespected of our culture.”

Among those attending Sunday’s service in Central Christian was Rose-Thamar Joseph, 40, who works at the Haitian Community Center.

“I was praying for peace and protection – for the Haitian community and all of Springfield,” she said. “I just want Springfield to go back to what it was a couple of months ago.”