Durbin Speaks In Support Of Haitian Immigrants Amid Ongoing Lies From Republican Presidential & Vice-Presidential Candidate

WASHINGTON –  In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today addressed the particularly vile lie being circulated by former President Trump, his Vice-Presidential candidate, J.D. Vance, and their supporters, and the real-life consequences of spreading this lie—that the Haitian immigrant community in Springfield, Ohio, are abducting, killing, and eating people’s pets.

“This claim is not only outrageous, and patently false, with both city officials and law enforcement confirming that they have received zero credible reports of such incidents, but it is now becoming a safety concern for the entire Springfield, Ohio, community. Despite this, the former President and his running mate have continued to knowingly spread this lie,” Durbin said.“These lies have real consequences for Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, and across the country. Since this smear campaign began, there have been multiple evacuations of schools, government buildings, and medical facilities in Springfield, Ohio, because of bomb and shooting threats related to these lies. I want to thank Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, a Republican and my former Senate colleague, for stepping up to debunk these lies and protect the people of his state. Yet, these candidates have doubled down. They are willing to spread lies and put an entire community at risk to amplify their anti-immigrant platform.”

Durbin went on to recall a meeting he had with then-President Trump and a handful of other lawmakers in the Oval Office in January 2018 where they were discussing a potential bipartisan immigration deal.

“The agreement would have devoted billions of dollars to securing the border and given legal protection to Dreamers, young immigrants who grew up in this country. But the former President was not interested. He complained that it would lead to more immigration from Haiti, which he dismissed in profane terms that I’m loath to repeat on the floor of the Senate. I was stunned. His words were hate-filled, vile, and racist. I could not believe that the President of the United States of America not only held such views, but felt comfortable enough to speak them aloud in the Oval Office,” Durbin said. “So, it is hardly surprising that when presented with the opportunity to continue to fuel anti-Haitian hate, the former President has taken that opportunity.”

Durbin then spoke to the important contributions of Haitian Americans throughout our country.

“I speak on the floor today to tell Haitian immigrants, Haitian Americans, and the entire immigrant community: there is no place for hate in America—no place for hate. You are a critical piece of our American tapestry. You make our communities and our nation stronger,” said Durbin. “Just look at the Attorney General for my home state of Illinois, Kwame Raoul. He is the son of Haitian immigrants, and his service to the state of Illinois and the nation is invaluable… Or, look at Captain Alix Idrache—a top member of his class, graduate of West Point, who is a pilot for the U.S. Army. He was born in Haiti. He rose to national prominence in 2016 after a photo [that] showed him with tears streaming down his face at his West Point graduation went viral. His tears, he explained, were a representation of the American Dream. For Haitians who have already experienced violence and instability in their native country, the lies that the former President is spreading only make their lives in America—somewhere they hoped would be a safe place—more dangerous.”

Durbin continued, “It disheartens me that in the year 2024, I must come to the floor of the Senate to condemn the lies of a former President who is running yet another political campaign fueled by fear-mongering and hate. Immigrants make our nation stronger. And any attempt to score cheap political points from lies suggesting otherwise should be met with swift condemnation from both sides of the aisle.”

Finally, Durbin called attention to an announcement out of St. Louis, Missouri, yesterday that the city led the nation’s largest metro areas in growing its immigrant population last year with the biggest one-year increase locally on record, according to new census data. The St. Louis metropolitan area added more than 30,000 foreign-born residents from 2022 through 2023, a roughly 23 percent increase from year to year. The increase is a result of deliberate efforts by civic and business leaders to invite immigrants to help fill the population vacuum St. Louis has experienced in recent decades.

“Yesterday, there was an… extraordinary announcement that they [St. Louis] have attracted some 30,000 immigrants to that city. They believe that it means that they can move forward now with economic development. It was a plan by the Chamber of Commerce. Contrast those two remarks, remarks of the former President Donald Trump and his Vice-Presidential candidate J.D. Vance about immigration, dehumanizing these individuals and suggesting they’re not only unnecessary in the United States but actually negative in their impact. They’re wrong in Springfield, Ohio. They’re clearly wrong in St. Louis, Missouri. They’re wrong in America. Immigrants have made this country,” Durbin said. “We are a nation of immigrants, and I would say quite boldly I’m damn proud of it.”

Video of Durbin’s remarks on the floor is available here.

Audio of Durbin’s remarks on the floor is available here.

Footage of Durbin’s remarks on the floor is available here for TV Stations.

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