(Reuters) — Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump pledged on Friday to conduct mass deportations of Haitian immigrants from the Ohio city of Springfield, even though the majority of them are in the United States legally.
The city for days has found itself at the center of a social media maelstrom after right-wing agitators latched onto false claims that Haitian arrivals were eating household pets.
“We will do large deportations in Springfield, Ohio,” Trump said at a press conference at his golf resort near Los Angeles.
The majority of the 15,000 Haitians in Springfield are there legally. Trump’s longstanding pledge to conduct mass deportations usually refers to those in the country illegally.
Trump did not repeat the assertion he made during Tuesday’s presidential debate with Democrat Kamala Harris that immigrants were eating dogs and cats, remarks that have been widely mocked.
Trump has cited the tensions in Springfield as another example of the need for hardline immigration polices. The influx of Haitians has boosted the economy but also has strained social services.
Haitian community leaders across the United States said the Republican candidate’s remarks could put lives at risk and further inflame tensions in Springfield.
“We need help, not hate,” Springfield’s mayor Rob Rue told ABC News.
City officials say they have received no credible reports of anybody eating household animals.