‘Big mistake’: South Florida Haitians slam Trump’s false claim about immigrants eating pets

MIAMI — Growing up, Nathan Gabriel was teased for his Haitian heritage. He’s now growing increasingly concerned about the claims Donald Trump and his running mate JD Vance made at the national stage regarding Haitian immigrants — and that anxiety has empowered him to push others to vote.

“Being Haitian is a blessing,” said Gabriel, the president of the Haitian Student Union at Florida International University. “Never let a classmate, coworker or even a vice president nominee and former President tell you different.” Like Gabriel, about 200 people — mainly members of South Florida’s Haitian community — and dozens of local political leaders gathered outside the North Miami City Hall on Sunday afternoon to rally against the baseless claims made by the Trump campaign. The event was hosted by the Miami-Dade Democratic Haitian Caucus.

“If there was ever a time to stand and defend ourselves, it is right now,” Gabriel said. “Especially [when the comments come] from anyone in a position of power, especially a former president and a current vice president candidate…” In recent weeks, the Trump campaign has falsely stated that Haitian immigrants living in a southwestern Ohio city are abducting and eating local wildlife and their neighbors’ pets. Trump repeated the racist tropes, rooted in a centuries-old racist trope of vilifying newcomers to the United States, during the September 10 debate against Vice President Harris.