Here's a real Haitian story

The U.S. attorney in Miami prosecuting Ryan Routh on gun charges related to Sunday's attempted assassination of Donald Trump is an inspirational figure in his South Florida community.

Markenzy Lapointe served with the U.S. Marines in Iraq, was a law clerk on Florida's top court, and a partner at two of the nation's leading law firms. He was recommended for his post by Republican Sen. Marco Rubio and appointed by President Joe Biden in 2022. He also is the nation's first Haitian-born U.S. attorney.

Some ironies are just too rich.

Lapointe, 58, came to the U.S. as a teenager and became a citizen in 1995. He is but one of many immigrant success stories; Long Islanders can bear witness to many more as the Haitian diaspora enriches our culture and strengthens our economy. Nassau County has about 26,000 residents who identify as Haitian while Suffolk has about 14,800, according to 2020 census data. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre is a Haitian American who was raised in Hempstead and graduated from Kellenberg Memorial High School. 

About four years ago, Springfield, Ohio and its Chamber of Commerce sought to relocate Haitians to a place where the population had declined, jobs were going unfilled, and houses were boarded up. These recently displaced Haitians, many here legally as permanent residents or able to work under Temporary Protected Status because of deteriorating conditions in their homeland, took the open jobs. But the relocation of about 15,000 newcomers is not without challenges for schools, medical facilities, and other government services. Tensions exist, especially after an 11-year-old boy died after being thrown from a school bus in a collision with a car driven by a Haitian immigrant who didn’t have an Ohio driver’s license.

But most of Ohio's leaders praise the new residents. "So when you look at all of these things, people who want to work, people who value their kids, who value education, you know, these are positive influences on our community in Springfield, and any comment about that otherwise, I think, is hurtful," said Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican.

DeWine was referring to baseless claims by Republican vice-presidential nominee Ohio Sen. JD Vance, who amplified social media garbage last week that Haitians in Springfield were eating family pets. His running mate, Donald Trump, elevated this ridiculousness in the recent presidential debate. Despite widespread criticism, Trump said Friday that his promised mass deportations if elected would "start with Springfield." Vance continues to justify his pet-eating nonsense by saying it was necessary to "create stories" to bring attention to the nation's influx of migrants.

By now, practically every school in Springfield has been closed due to bomb scares and a local white supremacist group is making threats. Haitian parents are worried about taunts and trauma to their children. If they want to teach their kids about law and order, perhaps the parents and teachers should tell them about Markenzy Lapointe.