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

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.

“Jesus was a refugee, so he identifies with what the Haitians are going through. And the Bible is, is this is an easy sermon to do because the Bible is very clear on our mandate to stand for people who are oppressed and to love and welcome immigrants,” said pastor Carl Ruby of Central Christian Church who welcomed several members of the Haitian community to his service on Sunday.

Their community is reeling from false accusations that they are eating their neighbor’s cats and dogs. The now viral and highly politicized rumors are being fueled 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.

“I can't even begin to tell you how scared and anxious they are right now. And it could all be stopped if people would just admit that they've been misinformed, that this hasn't happened. If people in power or people who have been in power would ask the hate groups to leave, I think they probably would,” said Ruby.

Officials have said there have been no credible or detailed reports about the pet-eating claims, even as Trump and his allies use them to amplify racist stereotypes about Black and brown immigrants.

Trump’s 2024 campaign has focused heavily on illegal immigration, often referencing in his speeches crimes committed by migrants. He argues immigrants are responsible for driving up crime and drug abuse in the United States and taking resources from American citizens.

“And after dealing with all of this on the week and we have the opportunity to hear a message of hope, a message of solidarity,” said Viles Dorsainvil, Executive Director of the Haitian Community Help and Support Center, who joined the Central Christian Church congregation on Sunday.

“That kind of gives me some hope that in the days ahead, we are going to have to leave that behind us, because the truth at the end of the day will overcome,” he said.

Another service was held at The First Haitian Church, located next to the Haitian Community Center.

“It was a challenging week because we're not used to that in an American society where Haitians are targeted for something they don't do,” said Bernardette Dor, one of the pastors at The First Haitian Church.

“They feel the threat, they feel they not welcome. They feel people are talking about them.” She said.

Though she worries about repercussions of the false statements, she said gathering to worship with her community and feeling support from others in Springfield gives her hope.

“One thing I can tell you, we are good people,” said Dor. “We love working. We love having fun. And we have good cuisine, good food. We're always laughing, dancing. Even though in the midst of adversity, we're still having faith in God. We believe we are strong in faith. We believe in God. We believe in love. We believe in Christ. And I think that's made the difference.”