JD Vance Doubles Down, Attacks Haitians’ Legal Status as Illegals: JD Vance in the News

RALEIGH, N.C. — Continuing to fume about immigration, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance is now saying that thousands of Haitians who are in the country legally are in reality “illegal aliens” wrongfully protected from deportation.

The accusation suggests they could face deportation under a Donald Trump administration. Trump has vowed to carry out the “largest deportation ever” in U.S. history if elected.

Vance, Trump’s Republican running mate for vice president, told NPR on Wednesday after a speech in Raleigh that President Joe Biden’s use of mass releases and temporary protected status for migrants arriving from certain countries, such as Haiti, is unlawful and that Vance considers them to be in the United States illegally.

His argument is important because Vance was specifically talking about Haitians, while NPR noted that citizens of more than a dozen other countries, including Venezuela, Syria, Ukraine and Afghanistan, can also receive TPS.

“What is fundamentally illegal is Kamala Harris saying we’re going to grant parole, not on an individual basis, but on millions of illegal aliens who come to this country,” Vance told NPR. “That doesn’t magically make them legal because Kamala Harris waved the amnesty stick. That makes her border policy a disgrace, and I continue to call people illegal aliens.”

The administration recently extended temporary legal protection status for illegal immigrants from Haiti living in the U.S. until February 3, 2026. The decision protects them from deportation but does not grant permanent legal status.

“Who gave permission?” Vance told NPR after his rally. “Who in this room, who in this country gave permission for millions of aliens to come into this country unchecked and unsupervised? None of us did.”

Vance’s comments in Raleigh are a continuation of claims he and Trump have made that illegal immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, are killing and eating pets, driving up crime rates, overcrowding schools and making streets unsafe. Vance has cited a figure of 20,000 immigrants in Springfield.

The city of Springfield acknowledges that there are between 12,000 and 15,000 immigrants living in the city and surrounding Clark County, most of whom are from Haiti.

The city also notes that Haitians in Springfield are there legally, having been admitted to the United States under the Immigration Parole Program and subsequently granted Temporary Protected Status as refugees. Haitians were designated by the Secretary of Homeland Security as eligible for TPS.

A fact-check of Vance’s claims about immigration published Thursday by The Washington Post, citing The Wall Street Journal, quotes the mayor of Springfield as saying: On the day Vance made his claim that illegal Haitian immigrants were eating pets, his campaign contacted the city about the allegation and was told it was untrue.

“I told him no,” Springfield City Manager Bryan Heck told the Journal. “There was no verifiable evidence or reports that this was true. I told them these claims were unfounded.”

Yet that same day, Vance posted the claim on X.

“Months ago I raised the issue of illegal Haitian immigrants draining welfare and generally causing chaos throughout Springfield, Ohio,” Vance posted at 10:22 a.m. on Sept. 9, the same day his staff spoke to Heck. “Reports are now showing people having their pets kidnapped and eaten by people who don’t belong in this country. Where is our border czar?”

Vance’s attacks, many of which The Post’s fact-checking team has found to be false or misleading, continue, particularly about Springfield, a community he represents in the Senate.

On Wednesday in Raleigh, he said immigrant crime is making residents feel unsafe.

“In the city of Springfield, Ohio, which I proudly represent, we have heard from a number of residents that there are certain parts of the city that they don’t even want to drive in anymore because the illegal immigrants that have come here have made it unsafe to be on the roads,” Vance told the crowd attending the rally.

In North Carolina, Vance continued to attack Harris and the Biden administration on immigration, criticizing the decision to grant temporary status to migrants.

And during the demonstration he promised deportations.

“Our message to the illegal aliens who have come into this country, who have driven up the cost of housing, who have made it more expensive for Americans to afford a good life, to the drug cartels who have brought pounds and pounds, tons and tons of fentanyl into this country, our message is simple,” Vance told the rally. “In six months, pack your bags, because you’re going home.”

View all JD Vance in the news stories.

Cleveland.com is closely following J.D. Vance’s every move and the reaction he elicits as he becomes the first Ohioan in 80 years to run for president for either major party. Our coverage of J.D. Vance is designed to provide a daily snapshot of the buzz surrounding him, capturing what he says, what he does, and what others are saying about him.