Immigrant tropes are once again being used as a tool to drive a wedge between Americans.
Former President Donald Trump’s comments about the Haitian immigrants of Springfield, Ohio, during the presidential debates is the latest example of immigrant communities being demonized for political gain.
He falsely accused them of abducting and eating pets to play into the common trope mostly associated with Asian immigrants. Trump wants to stir outrage within his party and create hostility against immigrants, especially in this crucial election year.
Immigration is a key issue in the political platforms of Democrats and Republicans. Recent discussions, however, seem more like acidic attacks than an attempt to negotiate a compromise.
Caught in the middle of this whirlwind are the millions of immigrants who live in the U.S.
They are not allowed to live as they are. Their very existence has been condensed into a few false claims about how they affect Americans. Immigrants coming to America are stealing our jobs and lazily living off government benefits.
Immigrants are criminals, drug lords and terrorists. Immigrants will eat your pets.
These tropes and discussions of immigration policies can be traced back to the 19th century. The purpose is to make immigrants into the big, bad wolf that the American people must unite against.
The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 is an example of how a perceived threat to Americans can result in the further marginalization of the immigrants.
Chinese immigrants were restricted from immigrating to the U.S. under penalty of imprisonment and deportation because they were seen as taking work away from Americans.
In propaganda material, these Chinese immigrants were depicted as ugly and scheming, which only bolstered the pre-existing negative stereotypes.
Trump is an example of how far this fear-mongering can go.
For years he has hurled derogatory statements about the immigrants coming into America. Both of his campaigns for president were heavily reliant on anti-immigration platforms.
Since the beginning of his political career, Trump has called immigrants everything from murderers to rapists.
He lumps the diverse immigrant communities together into a group of lazy, job-stealing “animals.”
He has persisted in spreading panic and fear among the American people against a minority population. Trump claimed the Haitians in Springfield, who legally have been given temporary protected status, were in the country illegally and that they will destroy the city.
Following the debate, the city received bomb threats, and the Haitian community has spoken out about feeling unsafe.
Most concerningly is how Trump and his running mate don’t seem to care about the consequences of the false rumors they spread.
JD Vance said on CNN that he thought the media ignored what was happening in Springfield before Trump’s comments.
In a damning quote, the Ohio senator said if he had to “create stories so that the American media actually pays attention to the suffering of the American people,” then he will do it.
It’s clear that Trump and Vance will continue to spread lies about immigrants if it benefits their political agenda.
In the process, they will pit Americans against each other. And when the nation is split in half, we move farther away from the “more perfect Union” our founding fathers described.
