Housing Policy

Christian Britschgi | 10.14.2024 12:35 PM

Sen. J.D. Vance (R–Ohio) took another swing at the Haitian residents of Springfield, Ohio, over the weekend. The Republican vice presidential nominee accused them of "massively violating" the city's zoning laws by living multiple families to a home.

Springfield's Haitian immigrant community has been the subject of a lot of attacks recently, including the salacious rumor that they've been stealing and eating local pets. Former President Donald Trump and other right-wing commenters endorsed this story, which appears to be an urban legend. Vance did as well, arguing that it helped to highlight the problems immigrants "flooding" communities.

In an interview posted Saturday, New York Times reporter Lulu Garcia-Navarro pressed Vance on this point, asking this was a worthy trade-off given the turmoil those rumors have caused for Springfield's Haitian community. The town has received a number of bomb threats, and some Haitian parents have kept their kids out of school.

Vance responded by saying American leaders have ignored all the ways that Haitian immigrants have made life worse for American citizens in Springfield—specifically citing the rising cost of housing.

"Have we talked about the fact that many of them have been evicted from their homes, and then Haitian migrants are moved in, four families to a home, massively violating zoning laws?" he said. "They are paying way more for rent than an American........

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