In response to a criminal complaint filed by a nonprofit, an Ohio judicial panel on Saturday decided not to issue arrest warrants for former President Donald Trump and his running mate JD Vance after they spread false claims about Haitian migrants eating pets in Springfield, Ohio.
During his debate against Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, last month, Trump, the GOP nominee, repeated a claim that Haitian migrants in Springfield were “eating the pets.” Vance, a U.S. senator from Ohio, has also spread the false claim. Meanwhile, ABC News moderator David Muir fact-checked Trump during the September 10 debate and Springfield authorities have repeatedly denied such claims.
These false claims have threatened the safety of not only Springfield’s Haitian community, but the entire city. Bomb threats were made in Springfield following the false claims, leading to the closures of schools and municipal buildings.
Amid the fallout, a nonprofit called the Haitian Bridge Alliance (HBA), which advocates for fair and humane immigration policies, filed a criminal complaint against Trump and Vance, but on Saturday, the Clark County Municipal Court announced that they found no probable cause to issue arrest warrants or misdemeanor summons as the Haitian group requested.
The court did, however, refer the case to county prosecutors.
“The conclusion of whether the evidence and causation necessary for probable cause exists to commence a prosecution of the alleged offenses is best left in the investigatory hands of the prosecution,” the judges wrote in their decision.
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The HBA’s case requests charges of felony inducing panic, disrupting public services, making false alarms, two counts of complicity, two counts of telecommunications harassment and aggravated menacing.
The judges that reviewed the case said particular consideration should be given to “the strong constitutional protections afforded to speech, and political speech in particular,” adding that because of the proximity of the election and the “contentious” nature of the issue of immigration, “the Court cannot automatically presume the good faith nature of the affidavits.”
Steven Cheung, Trump’s communications director, told the Associated Press that the former president was “rightfully highlighting the failed immigration system that [Vice President] Kamala Harris has overseen, bringing thousands of illegal immigrants pouring into communities like Springfield and many others across the country.”
Trump and other Republicans have accused Harris of failing to act on immigration and border security as vice president, dubbing her President Joe Biden‘s “border czar.” At the time, Biden tasked Harris with leading the administration’s diplomacy with Central American countries—El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras—to address the “root causes” of migration. However, she never was in charge of border security.
Newsweek reached out to Cheung, Vance’s office and the Haitian Bridge Alliance via email for comment Saturday afternoon.
In an updated filing, the HBA says that “Trump’s and Vance’s refusals to stop [spreading false claims], despite serious chaos they were inflicting and the governor’s and mayor’s pleas, highlights their criminal purpose in spreading these lies. The chaos caused was the purpose, and the First Amendment affords no protection for that campaign of criminal conduct.”
Ohio Republican Governor Mike DeWine and Springfield’s Republican Mayor Rob Rue have also denied the claims that Haitian immigrants are eating pets in Springfield.
In recent years, roughly 15,000 to 20,000 Haitian immigrants have arrived in Springfield, many of them recruited to local jobs, and have been granted “temporary protected status” to stay in the U.S. legally.
Illegal immigration has been a hot-button issue, especially among Republicans, as illegal crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border have surged in recent years. However, the number of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) encounters has drastically decreased from December, which saw over 300,000 encounters, to August which saw over 100,000 encounters.
Republicans vastly blame the Biden-Harris administration for the situation at the southern border because illegal crossings have significantly increased under Biden. However, crossings also increased in Trump’s last months in office after hitting a low from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It is crucial to foster discussions around sensitive issues, particularly those concerning immigration, with a commitment to truth and integrity,” Springfield officials said in a statement Saturday announcing the Clark County Municipal Court’s decision.
City officials also said in the statement that they were “dedicated to promoting constructive dialogue and addressing community concerns transparently,” adding that “the safety and well-being of all residents, including the Haitian immigrant community, continue to be our highest priority.”
