P.G. Smith Author

Yesterday I saw on the news that Donald Trump is still spreading (the same) hateful lies about the Haitian people in Springfield, Ohio. This is outrageous and unacceptable and shows how toxic his campaign has become. The people of Springfield have asked him to stop. The Mayor and Governor asked him to stop. And yet he continues to spread the baseless lies he found on a right-wing blog somewhere. Sadly, the people at his rally cheered.

We need to recognize how dangerous this is. The Haitians are LEGAL immigrants, refugees from a devastated country, who ask only for a chance to safely live and work, pay their way, and contribute to the community they live in. According to my research, they helped the economy of Springfield, which needed an influx of people.

But Trump insists that they must be deported. So, does that mean that legal as well as illegal immigrants are part of his mass deportation plan? Is it only if they are Black or Hispanic or Muslim or maybe Chinese? Are the white Christian Ukrainians ok? Or is it any refugees, since all refugees are by definition ‘losers.’ And easy targets. Convenient scapegoats. This is not who we are.

This is just another push to divide our country. It is a bridge too far, and we all must reject it loud and clear at the ballot box.