Kristin Hopkins-Calcek knew that when former President Trump mentioned the Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio, her town could be the next one in his sights.

The comment came during Trump’s September 10 debate with Vice President Kamala Harris, in which Trump falsely claimed that Haitian migrants there were “eating the pets of the people that live there.” Hopkins-Calcek, the borough-council president of Charleroi, Pennsylvania, said that as the town’s leadership watched the ensuing events in Springfield unfold, they began preparing, in case something did happen.

“I was worried it was coming, because I knew the people that would you know would reference Charleroi in order to add to the narrative about immigrants being such a negative in this country,” she said.

Then it happened: on September 12, in a rally in Tucson, Arizona, Trump used Charleroi as another example of what he and his base believe is a “migrant invasion” in the United States.

“What a beautiful name, but it’s not so beautiful now,” he said about Charleroi. “It has experienced a 2,000 percent increase in the population of Haitian migrants under Kamala Harris. So, Pennsylvania, remember this when you go to vote. This is a small town, and all of a sudden they got thousands of people … The town is virtually bankrupt. This flood of illegal aliens is bringing massive crime to the town and every place near it.”

“I wasn’t completely surprised,” Hopkins-Calcek remembered. “We were fearful that it was going to come to Charleroi because we knew we had a similar situation [to Springfield]. But it’s incredulous, right? You don’t think that it will, until it does.” 

Trump used Charleroi as an example in multiple rallies since. Hopkins-Calcek says that none of it is true.

“We haven’t had any violence. In fact, our crime is down,” she said. “Our statistics are looking great here in town. Our economy is better. We have businesses that are opening.”

The comments – lies – about migrants in the United States have been a focal point of all of Donald Trump’s campaign rallies, as well as other “MAGA” politicians, from eating pets in Springfield to gang violence in Aurora, Colorado. This weekend at a rally at Madison Square Garden in New York City, Trump’s senior advisor for policy Stephen Miller told the crowd that “America is for Americans and Americans only” – echoing Adolf Hitler’s 1934 cry to the German people that “Germany is for Germans and Germans only.”

Trump himself repeated previous claims of a “migrant invasion,” saying, “the United States is now an occupied country” and that Vice President Kamala Harris “has resettled [immigrants] into your communities to prey upon innocent American citizens.”

Professor Jacob Shapiro, Professor of Politics and International Affairs at Princeton University, says that politicians like Trump know better than to spread lies about migrants, but it’s all for “political purposes.”

“It’s lying for political gain,” he explained. “He takes nuggets of truth to make exaggerated points.”

As for Trump’s supposed plan to deport all migrants, illegal and legal, Shapiro says it’s all part of the scheme.

“It’s a fantasy plan to stave off unfavorable realities,” Shapiro said, alluding to sociologist Lee Clarke’s book “Mission Improbable.” “It’s unrealistic, but it sounds good to his people.”

Hopkins-Calcek has a theory about why her town was targeted by Trump.

“​​There are some people who have ties to the Republican Party that are in this area, and I’m sure that’s how the word of this got out,” she said. “And unfortunately, there are no guard rails, right? So in this day and age, it just doesn’t matter who’s hurt by things. If it gets votes or sows division, then it’s allowable and supported by Trump and the Republican Party.”

“His entire campaign has been about fear mongering and division and misinformation. So [Charleroi] was another tool,” she continued. “We’re not happy that our town is being used, not only for political gain through the immigration discussion, but also through the job loss discussion.”

Trump’s lies have been harmful to the migrants and their advocates. Hopkins-Calcek says that the Ku Klux Klan and other white supremacist groups have distributed flyers in town. She says that the town has liaisons with the different migrant communities, and that the liaison for the Haitian community “has let them know that it’s probably best if they keep it more low key.”

“There’s an undercurrent of fear,” she said. “[White supremacist groups] have been given a pass, you know, because of the comments that were made to show their ugliness.” 

Her comments echo previous comments from Pastor Carl Ruby, an advocate for Haitian migrants in Springfield previously, who previously described the situation in Springfield: “I think there were a total of somewhere between 30 and 50 bomb threats. Schools canceled, hospitals closed, grocery stores closed. … Everyone was nervous. People are afraid. My family is very afraid. Some people have been afraid to come to church because of the publicity that I have had as a spokesman for the Haitians.”

The migrants arrived in Charleroi – legally – and took jobs that weren’t being taken. They came from all over, from Haiti to Liberia. Now, Hopkins-Calcek says, they’ve become a “wonderful” part of the Charleroi community.

“​​We’ve been working to slowly integrate their culture into ours, and we had a very successful year in that we’ve incorporated their culture and music into our thorough events throughout the last not only the last year, but the last few years,” she explained. “I have never in my entire life met a group of people that are so kind, nice, loving, happy and want to belong. Want to follow the rules of law. Want to follow the culture. Want to change their culture, to fit in.”

Despite all of the hate that has been directed at her community, Hopkins-Calcek also has hope for a peaceful future for Charleroi.

“We’re way behind the rest of the country as far as being tolerant of things and people that don’t look like ourselves,” she said. “Just because we’re behind doesn’t mean we’re not going to get there. We’re just hopeful that, moving forward, we can all live in peace.”