Healthcare workers on Wednesday denounced former president Donald Trump's remarks about Haitian immigrants during rallies held at two Brooklyn health facilities.
Workers from One Brookyn Health- Interfaith Medical Center in Bedford-Stuyvesant and Maimonides Medical Center in Borough Park, part of 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East union, described Trump's recent remarks made during the presidential debate as racist, according to a press release.
During the presidential debate on Sept. 10, Trump said Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, were eating locals' pets, which officials from Ohio have debunked.
The union, which expressed support for Vice President Kamala Harris, accused Trump and his vice presidential candidate JD Vance of spreading hate and sowing division.
"Absent any real plan to improve the lives of the American people, the Republican Party and their billionaire donors are spreading hate and blaming immigrants for the challenges our country is facing to deflect attention from their efforts to take away our freedoms, erode workers’ rights and weaken our democracy," said George Gresham, the union's president.
“1199SEIU is proud to have many thousands of members who belong to the Haitian diaspora. The contributions of Haitians to the field of healthcare and our labor movement are extraordinary. We deeply value the richness of culture, language and fortitude that Haitian communities add to the diversity of our nation," he added.
