CHAPPELLE: TRUMP LIED ABOUT HAITIANS IN SPRINGFIELD

In his 18 January stand-up monologue on NBC's ‘Saturday Night Live,’ comedian Dave Chappelle (@DaveChappelle on X) set the record straight on the subject of migrants using the wit he's famous for. He began by pointing out the irony in how foreigners are vilified but welcomed when their assistance is needed. Chappelle cited Canadian and Mexican firefighters arriving in the US to aid in quelling fires that had displaced over 100,000 people in the Los Angeles area, as of 13 January.

Then, Chappelle highlighted the treatment of immigrants in the US, with a commentary on US President Donald Trump and his camp's widely circulated false remarks on Haitians in Springfield, Ohio, 'eating pets'. In an effort to counter the false narrative, the comedian chose to eat at a Haitian restaurant, using his celebrity status to show people they are safe. He further noted that Haitians have boosted Springfield's economy.

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine said Haitian migrants ‘came to Springfield to work,’ filling a labour gap that is expected to continue rising. According to 2023 data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), immigrants make up 19 per cent of the US workforce and participate at higher rates than native-born workers.

The US is a country that was built on and continues to rely on enslaved and migrant labour. Discrediting their contributions with stereotypes is part of a ruling class effort to keep the plantation dynamic in place.

Sources:

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/11/us/mexico-canada-firefighters-california.html

https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2024/10/5/fact-check-are-haitian-immigrants-in-springfield-in-the-us-illegally

https://edition.cnn.com/2024/09/19/us/springfield-ohio-haitians-immigration-cec/index.html

https://www.dispatch.com/story/opinion/letters/2024/09/17/springfield-business-see-the-value-in-haitian-workers-immigrants-cats/75246656007/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/09/14/trump-immigrants-eating-pets-racist-stereotype/

https://apnews.com/article/job-openings-economy-hiring-layoffs-124cedcd2c531d521334f84bfa631f93

https://19thnews.org/2025/01/trump-springfield-ohio-haitian-community-anti-immigration/

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/haitian-immigrants-fueled-springfields-growth-now-us-presidential-debate-2024-09-11/

https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/forbrn.pdf

https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/research/immigrants-in-the-united-states#

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/13/us/la-fires-missing-victims.html