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Trump Says Letting Haitian Immigrants In Is A 'Death Wish' Because They 'Probably Have AIDS'

Trump Says Letting Haitian Immigrants In Is A 'Death Wish' Because They 'Probably Have AIDS'
Sean Rayford/Getty Images

Former Republican President Donald Trump suggested "hundreds of thousands" of Haitian migrants heading to the U.S./Mexico border is a "death wish" and they "probably have AIDS."

Like many of his fear-mongering claims during his time in the Oval Office, his proclamation on Thursday during an interview with Sean Hannity on Fox News lacked evidence.

"We have hundreds of thousands of people flowing in from Haiti," Trump claimed.

"Haiti has a tremendous AIDS problem."
"AIDS is a step beyond. AIDS is a real bad problem."

You can watch the clip of the interview here:



The two were discussing the subject of immigration during which Hannity claimed he supported "legal immigration."

But in addition to requiring a COVID-19 test and proof you "won't be a financial burden on the American people," Hannity asked if it would be inappropriate to require a "security check to make sure you don't have radical associations."

Trump—who allegedly called Haiti and African nations "sh*thole" countries during a closed White House meeting with lawmakers while President—said those measures were valid, but he brought up the unsubstantiated topic of AIDS-afflicted Haitian migrants as the "one other thing that nobody talks about."

Trump continued:

"So hundreds of thousands of people are coming into our country that if you look at the stats, if you look at the numbers, if you look at—just take a look at what's happening in Haiti, a tremendous problem with AIDS."
"Many of those people will probably have AIDS and they're coming into our country and we don't do anything about it."
"We let everybody come in. Sean, it's like a death wish. It's like a death wish for our country."

Twitter and Haiti gave a collective eye roll.












Some pointed out his own failings in the prioritization and handling of harmful viral pathogens far more contagious than HIV.







For decades, Haitian migrants seeking asylum in the U.S. have been demonized as disease carriers and subjected to violence and discrimination.

According to the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, approximately 150,000 Haitians are living with the virus that causes AIDS.

However, those who are reportedly heading for the U.S./Mexico border are believed to be coming from South American countries, many of whom fled Haiti after a catastrophic 7.2 magnitude earthquake and a devastating tropical storm ravaged much of the country.

In contrast to the "hundreds of thousands" of Haitian migrants purported by Trump, an estimated 15,000 reached the international bridge in Del Rio, Texas, hoping to cross the border.

Since September 19, the U.S. government has used a Trump-era order, Title 42, for the deportation of more than 7,000 migrants on flights back to Haiti, according to information from the United Nations.

The Biden Administration was recently criticized by immigrant advocates and some Democrats for sending too many Haitians back to their homeland.