On this edition of Your Call, we discuss how Donald Trump's inflammatory rhetoric is affecting immigrant communities.
Trump has continued to push debunked rumors about Haitians and Venezuelans. In one community that Trump has singled out — Springfield, Ohio, home to thousands of Haitian immigrants — state police had to conduct daily sweeps of schools in response to multiple bomb threats.
How are these rumors affecting the work of immigration rights advocates and why do Trump's words contain so much power even after they've been proved false?
Guests:
Keilly Leon, north regional organizer for the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition
Zachary Mueller, senior research director for America's Voice
Jennifer Mercieca, professor in the Department of Communication & Journalism at Texas A&M University
Resources:
The New York Times: How the False Story of a Gang ‘Takeover’ in Colorado Reached Trump
CBS: Trump says he would deport Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio, "back to Venezuela"
The Guardian: Ohio city’s schools get extra police as bomb threats follow false Trump claims
Reuters: Haitian Americans fear for their safety after Trump repeats false claims about immigrants and pets
