After a nonprofit filed a criminal complaint against former President Donald Trump and his running mate, JD Vance, over remarks they made about Haitian migrants eating pets in Springfield, Ohio, an Ohio judicial panel has ruled there is no cause to issue arrest warrants for either of them.
The incident occurred during a presidential debate with Vice President Kamala Harris, where Trump referenced claims circulating in Springfield that Haitian migrants had been eating pets. These comments followed reports of around 20,000 Haitian migrants overwhelming local resources, and a local resident at a city commission meeting had alleged that migrants were eating animals such as ducks in a park.
In response, the Haitian Bridge Alliance (HBA) filed a criminal complaint against Trump and Vance, accusing them of offenses including felony inducing panic, disrupting public services, and making false alarms. The complaint also followed bomb threats in Springfield, which had led to the closure of schools and municipal buildings.
On Saturday, the court ruled that there was no probable cause to issue arrest warrants or misdemeanor summonses. However, the case was referred to county prosecutors for further investigation, as reported by Newsweek.
The judges noted that determining whether the necessary evidence and causation for prosecution exists is “best left in the investigatory hands of the prosecution.” They also pointed to the “strong constitutional protections afforded to speech, and political speech in particular,” particularly in the context of an election year and the heated topic of immigration.
Trump and Vance’s comments are part of their broader critique of the Biden-Harris administration’s immigration policies. The 20,000 Haitian migrants in Springfield were granted Temporary Protected Status under the Biden administration, which also introduced a “parole program” allowing up to 30,000 migrants monthly from countries including Haiti, Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela to seek a sponsor and enter the U.S. This program has faced criticism, especially after the Department of Homeland Security uncovered widespread fraud among its applicants.
