Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine provided probably the most vociferous defenses of Haitian immigrants in Springfield but from a Republican as their presence in town turns into a chief level of criticism from former President Donald Trump.
Speaking to “This Week” co-anchor Martha Raddatz, DeWine repeatedly famous that the immigrants are in Ohio legally and praised their work ethic, stridently swatting away claims that they're consuming neighbors' pets — unsubstantiated conspiracy theories promoted by Trump and his allies.
“I think it's unfortunate that this came up. Let me tell you what we do know, though. What we know is that the Haitians who are in Springfield are legal. They came to Springfield to work. Ohio is on the move, and Springfield has really made a great resurgence with a lot of companies coming in. These Haitians came in to work for these companies,” DeWine stated.
“What the companies tell us is that they are very good workers. They're very happy to have them there, and frankly, that's helped the economy. Now, are there problems connected? Well, sure. When you go from a population of 58,000 and add 15,000 people onto that, you're going to have some challenges and some problems. And we're addressing those,” he added.
Conspiracy theories concerning the immigrants unfold on-line have made their means to nationwide politics, breaking via when Trump claimed in his debate with Democratic opponent Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday that Haitians in Springfield had been consuming neighbors' canines and cats.
“Look, there’s a lot of garbage on the internet and, you know, this is a piece of garbage that was simply not true. There’s no evidence of this at all,” DeWine stated on “This Week.”
The fallout unfold past politics over the previous week as bomb threats and different threats of violence had been reported in Springfield — prompting a sturdy rebuke from DeWine.
“There are hate groups coming into Springfield. We don't need these hate groups. I saw a piece of literature yesterday that the mayor told me about from purportedly the KKK. Look, Springfield is a good city. They are good people. They are welcoming people. We have challenges every day. We are working on those challenges,” DeWine stated.
“This idea that we have hate groups coming in, this discussion just has to stop. We need to focus on moving forward and not dogs and cats being eaten. It's just ridiculous,” he added.
DeWine final week introduced the state would ship extra sources to Springfield. His workplace stated native main caregivers have been impacted due to an elevated variety of sufferers and lack of translation providers. DeWine has approved $2.5 million to go towards increasing main care entry for town of Springfield, whereas calling for extra federal assist.
When pressed by Raddatz on how to sq. his protection of immigrants in Springfield with Trump's feedback about them, on prime of current incorrect claims on the debate that he in truth gained the 2020 election, the Ohio governor stated Americans belief Trump on the financial system and different points.
“I've said before we knew who the nominee was going to be, I would support the Republican nominee for president. I am a Republican. I think if you look at the economy, these are issues that I think the American people are most concerned about. I think that Donald Trump is the best choice,” he stated.
“Look, there's these are legitimate problems that we have on the border. I'm not minimizing that at all. And those are legitimate arguments where the vast majority the American people agree with Donald Trump, and not the vice president, [Kamala Harris],” he added. “But what's going on in Springfield is just fundamentally different. These people are here legally. They came to work.”
