A businessman in Springfield, Ohio has received death threats and been labeled a traitor after defending his Haitian employees, The New York Times reported.
Jamie McGregor, a fifth-generation Springfield resident and the owner of McGregor Metal, first hired Haitian workers after a large population of Haitian immigrants settled in the Ohio town in 2020. They now make up 10% of McGregor’s team of over 300 employees.
Chaos and violence descended on Springfield after a false rumor that Haitian immigrants in the town were eating local pets was spread nationally by Republican nominee Donald Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio. Amid that campaign, McGregor felt the need to speak up and defend the Haitian employees who are crucial to his business’ success.
“They come to work every day. They don’t cause drama. They’re on time,” he told The New York Times earlier this month. He also defended his employees on PBS NewsHour, noting that his Haitian employees are also his most reliable.
Since then, McGregor has faced a number of death threats, including posters around town with his face printed alongside the word, "traitor," forcing him to increase security at his business.
“Why are you importing Third World savages who eat animals and giving them jobs over United States citizens?” a voicemail left for McGregor said.
McGregor, who is a lifelong Republican and two-time Trump voter, has since purchased a gun, something he had previously vowed never to do.
But that step was advised by the FBI, whose agents visited McGregor’s family home on Sept. 12 and told him to take the threats seriously, saying they had found several to be "credible." They told him to keep his blinds shut, vary his driving routes, lock his business doors and wear gloves when opening his mail.
In the last month, schools, hospitals and government buildings have received over 30 bomb threats.
“You know, things are just different now,” McGregor told The Times.
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