CBS News moderators muted the vice presidential candidates’ microphones during the October 1 debate only once, during a discussion on immigration in Springfield, Ohio. Former President Donald Trump and Ohio Senator JD Vance had previously spread baseless claims about Haitian immigrants in Springfield.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz criticized Vance for spreading misinformation about the immigrants, with Vance claiming that millions of illegal immigrants had been brought in to compete with Americans for housing. However, it was clarified that most of the Haitian migrants in Springfield had legal status under temporary protected status.
President Joe Biden has created and expanded programs for Haitians and other immigrants to live and work in the US legally, including humanitarian parole and temporary protected status. These programs allow eligible individuals to legally enter the US and work there for up to two years. Immigration experts confirmed that those under these programs are considered to be in the US legally.
While temporary protections do not grant a pathway to citizenship, individuals under these programs are considered to have lawful status in the US based on immigration law. If these protections expire or are revoked, individuals may be subject to deportation proceedings, but they would have the opportunity for a removal hearing before an immigration judge. JD Vance’s claim that immigrants in Springfield were illegal was rated as false based on the legal status granted to Haitian migrants under these programs.
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Photo credit www.aljazeera.com
