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Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday called the spread of disinformation about Haitian immigrants by former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance, “a crying shame” but did not say whether she thought the federal government should take action to “help the community heal.”

The comments came at a conversation hosted by the National Association of Black Journalists, or NABJ, one of the largest professional organizations for journalists of color. The group hosted a similar conversation with Trump in July during its national conference, when he repeatedly insulted ABC News’s Rachel Scott and questioned Harris’s race and identity. 

Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, at last week’s debate raised the racist idea that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, were eating pets, a rumor that originated in and has continued to spread on right-wing media and has been amplified by Vance. Local officials have said there is no evidence this is happening. 

Moderator Eugene Daniels of Politico asked Harris about the comments, which have led to threats and concerns in the Ohio town. “We’ve seen school closures, parents worried about their kids leaving the home because of racist conspiracy theories. … From your perspective is this just a case of irredeemable racism that can’t be mitigated by any rational action or is this a situation where a federal response could help the community heal?” he asked. 

Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, began her answer by talking about how children at a Springfield elementary school had to miss picture day because the school was evacuated due to violent threats. She expressed her dismay and disgust at both how Haitian immigrants have been treated and at the disinformation spread by Trump and Vance. However, she did not answer whether a federal response would be appropriate or effective. Instead, Harris, the child of two immigrant parents, asserted that Americans are not fundamentally or naturally hateful toward immigrants. 

“I know regardless of someone’s race, their gender, their geographic location, I know that people are deeply troubled by what is happening to that community in Springfield, Ohio, and it’s got to stop,” she said.  

Harris described the rumors as “hateful rhetoric that is designed to divide us as a country, that is designed to get us pointing fingers at each other.” 

She also decried the strain on local law enforcement.

“Look, you say you care about law enforcement – law enforcement resources being put into this because of serious threats to a community that was living a productive, good life before this happened, spewing lies that are grounded in tropes that are age old,” Harris said.

At the debate, when Trump said immigrants were eating pets in Springfield, Harris laughed, shook her head, and said “Talk about extreme” before moving the conversation elsewhere.

On Sunday, Vance said he stood by the statements and that they were made “to create stories so that the American media actually pays attention.”

Immigration is a top issue in the 2024 election, and Republicans including Trump and Vance have seized on it to spread fear among voters. 

Many Haitian immigrants in the United States, including in Ohio, are on Temporary Protected Status, which Trump tried to rescind in his first term and President Joe Biden extended.

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