Edgard Leblanc, head of Haiti’s transition council, addressed the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday, expressing gratitude towards Americans who have shown solidarity with Haitian migrants, particularly in Springfield, Ohio.
The city has recently become a contentious point in the U.S. presidential race due to baseless claims by Republican candidate Donald Trump and his running mate, Senator JD Vance, that Haitian migrants in Springfield were consuming cats and dogs.
Leblanc offered a “brotherly greeting” to those who supported Haitian migrants, highlighting Springfield’s role in supporting the Haitian community.
Local officials have consistently debunked the false claims, but Trump has remained steadfast, stating he would pursue the deportation of community members if re-elected.
The majority of Springfield’s 15,000 Haitian Americans reside in the U.S. legally, yet the town has faced a surge of bomb threats following the inflammatory rhetoric. The U.S. Congressional Progressive Caucus condemned the “vile and dehumanising rhetoric” against Haitian migrants, warning of the real dangers it poses to migrant families.
Leblanc, without directly naming Trump or Vance, warned against allowing the passions of election campaigns to justify xenophobia or racism in the United States.
Calls for Formal Peacekeeping Mission in Haiti
As the leader of Haiti’s transition council, Leblanc also appealed to the U.N. Security Council to consider converting the current security mission in Haiti into a formal peacekeeping operation.
Haiti has been gripped by escalating gang violence, with over 700,000 people displaced, according to U.N. estimates.
While the U.N. has supported a security mission led by Kenya since June, the mission’s mandate is set to expire at the end of the month.
Leblanc urged the Security Council to secure stable funding and expand the mission’s capacity by formalising it as a peacekeeping operation.
Leblanc acknowledged the skepticism many Haitians hold toward a U.N. armed presence due to past missions that resulted in a cholera epidemic and sex abuse scandals.
However, he expressed confidence that a renewed mission could succeed if past mistakes are not repeated.
Earlier that day, Kenyan President William Ruto announced plans to increase Kenya’s police presence in Haiti to 2,500 officers by January, further bolstering the ongoing security efforts in the Caribbean nation.
