NEW YORK, USA — The claim by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and his running mate JD Vance that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, are eating their neighbours’ pets has now crossed country lines to Jamaica.

Du’Sean Howard, who co-owns and manages the Jamaica Patty Company in Springfield, Missouri, said he received a telephone call on September 25 where the caller, an elderly woman, angrily demanded to know why he was suing Trump and Vance. Springfield, Missouri, is almost 600 miles away from the similarly-named town in Ohio.

“I instantly realised that I was being mistaken for a Haitian national,” Howard said.

He said that when he told the caller, who he said is Caucasian, that he was Jamaican and not Haitian, the woman, who did not identify herself, hastily hung up.

Trump first made the claim during a televised presidential debate on September 10 with United States Vice-President Kamala Harris, his Democratic opponent in November 5 elections.

“They’re eating the dogs, they’re eating the cats“, he claimed, following a social media post about a missing cat which was later found in its owner’s basement.

Trump and Vance have continued to make the false claims despite numerous denials by officials in Ohio, including the governor of the state Mike DeWine, the Mayor of Springfield Rob Rue, and City Manager Bryan Heck.

Both Trump and Vance have been sued by the Haitian Brigade Alliance, a Springfield, Ohio, non-profit organisation.

Howard told the Jamaica Observer during an interview that “while I cannot speak to the call being racial in tone, I take it seriously as it shows the measure of what can happen with false information and misunderstanding.”

The Kingston-born, Jamaica College old boy said he has been in Springfield, Missouri, since 2010 and “I have not encountered any problems in the community. With this being a mid-western state there are many Trump supporters here,” he said.

He noted that “since the opening of the business in 2018, we have had no issues with the community as everybody treats each other on both sides with respect. The response from the community to the telephone incident thus far has been positive as people have been coming in and showing their support.”

While there is no recorded data of the number of Jamaicans in the community, Howard said that the Haitian and Jamaican communities in the area are small in number. He said that his company currently operates two locations in Springfield, Missouri, and is planning to expand its operations.

The company also operates a mobile truck as part of its operations, Howard told the Observer.

There have been numerous bomb threats in Springfield, Ohio, since the claim by Trump and Vance, leading to the closure of schools and some businesses.

The motion suing Trump and his running mate is seeking their immediate arrest according to the website of Chandra Law, the firm which has filed the motion on behalf of the alliance.

The alliance, which is run by co-founder and executive director Gurrline Jozeph, is suing for disrupting public service, making false claims, and committing telecommunications harassment, among several other charges, the website added.

The number of Haitian nationals in Springfield, Ohio, ranges from 15,000 to 20,000, the majority of whom are there under legal status arrangements granted by United States authorities.

Trump has, however, constantly threatened to deport them should he win the elections.

Trump and his running mate JD Vance said Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio are eating their neighbours’ pets (Photo: AFP)

People participate in a rally in solidarity with the Haitian community at Boston Common in Boston on September 24, 2024. (Photo: AFP)