Attacks on Haitian immigrants have to stop, says US president

By Diyar Guldogan

WASHINGTON (AA) - US President Joe Biden on Friday hit back Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's claims about Haitian immigrants allegedly eating pets in Springfield, Ohio.

Referring to his White House press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, who is Haitian American, Biden said: "I want to take a moment to address this. So many Americans, like Karine, as you pointed out, are proud Haitian Americans—a community that’s under attack in our country right now."

"It’s simply wrong. There’s no place in America. This has to stop, what he’s doing. It has to stop," Biden said at a White House event in celebration of Black Excellence.

Springfield is seeing an increase in Haitian arrivals, but former President Trump went on an anti-migrant tirade Tuesday night at a debate with his Democratic rival Kamala Harris, repeating claims denied by officials that Haitian immigrants are eating pets.

"In Springfield, they're eating the dogs, the people that came in, they're eating the cats. They're eating the pets of the people that live there. And this is what's happening in our country, and it's a shame," he said.

Trump continues his attacks on immigrants on Friday, pledging to deport Haitians in Ohio.

"We're going to have the largest deportation in the history of our country, and we're going to start with Springfield," he said at a news conference in Los Angeles.

Meanwhile, Jean-Pierre, said on Friday that it is "extremely sad and concerning" that a community is facing this type of "danger and vitriol".

"And there is absolutely no place in this country and certainly in our political discourse, for this type of vitriolic smearing, hateful language," she told the reporters.