The Miami Heat on Monday blasted “hateful speech” aimed at Haitian immigrants, who have been targeted by baseless claims they’re stealing and eating pets in Ohio.
The false allegations, pushed by former President Donald Trump and his running mate, JD Vance, have led to bomb threats and other menacing actions against residents of Springfield, Ohio.
“The false narrative surrounding them is hurtful and offensive and has sadly made innocent people targets of hateful speech and physical threats,” the team said in a statement on Monday.
Florida’s Miami-Dade County has one of the nation’s most concentrated population of Haitians. Of the county’s 2.7 million residents, about 3.7% are Haitians, who also comprise about 2.4% of the state’s population.
“Our Haitian employees, fans and friends deserve better,” the Heat added.
Several schools and municipal buildings were closed in Springfield last week after threats were called in to the Ohio community.
The threats unfolded in the wake of wild and completely baseless claims of Haitian immigrants stealing and eating pets. Those lies have gained strength in the past week, with Tump and Vance spreading the fringe, far-right tales.
Vance, in appearances Sunday on NBC and CNN, refused to apologize for spreading the falsehoods. On CNN’s “State of the Union,” he went as far as saying he’s not ashamed of “creating a story” that’ll put the focus on immigration. Immigrant advocates have decried the false claims.
“The lies and conspiracies about Haitians are part of a larger volume of anti-immigrant and dehumanizing rhetoric that actively courts political violence,” said Vanessa Cardenas, executive director of America’s Voice, an immigration advocacy group.
Sophia Pierrelus, an Ohio immigration advocate who is from Port-au-Prince, said her adult son in nearby Columbus has been harassed.
