Who is the Indian-American lawyer representing the Haitians and demanding the arrest of Trump-Vance? – Firstpost

The Haitian community living in Ohio has been in the news since former President Donald Trump accused the immigrant community of “eating cats and dogs” during a presidential debate.

The misleading claims even led to chaos and bomb threats in the region.

In a new development, the head of a nonprofit organization representing the community has invoked the right of a private citizen to bring charges against Trump and his vice presidential candidate, JD Vance.

The Haitian Bridge Alliance took this step after the local prosecutor’s office remained inactive, said its attorney Subodh Chandra of the Cleveland law firm Chandra Law.

Here’s everything we know about him.

Who is Subodh Chandra?

Subodh Chandra is co-founder and managing partner of The Chandra Law Firm LLC.

A former federal prosecutor, he focuses on civil litigation as well as white collar criminal defense and internal investigations, according to his website. He has handled high-profile cases such as the death of 12-year-old Tamir Rice at the hands of Cleveland police.

Prior to founding his firm, Chandra oversaw the work of an 82-attorney department with both a criminal and a civil division while serving as law director for the City of Cleveland.

He began his legal career as a special counsel to the President of the American Bar Association.

Chandra is a graduate of Yale Law School and graduated with honors from Stanford University.

He has long been committed to supporting those who want to work in public service. In 2006, he ran for Ohio Attorney General and received the most endorsements from the newspapers.

He is co-vice chair of the Ohio Special Advisory Committee of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.

Also read: Do US migrants eat domestic cats and ducks? Bizarre rumor spread by Donald Trump

What are Trump and Vance accused of?

Chandra filed the criminal complaint against Trump and Vance in Clark County Municipal Court on Tuesday on behalf of the Haitian Bridge Alliance.

Trump and Vance, a U.S. senator from Ohio, are accused of disrupting public services, setting off false alarms, harassing telecommunications equipment, making serious threats and complicity.

The filing asks the Clark County Municipal Court to confirm probable cause and issue arrest warrants for Trump and Vance or refer the case to the District Attorney’s Office for further investigation.

Although Chandra has close ties to the Democratic Party, he stressed that this had no influence on his decision to take the case.

“Their persistence and intransigence, even in the face of the governor and the mayor saying this is wrong, shows intent. It is a conscious, willful disregard for criminal law,” Chandra said.

“If anyone other than Trump and Vance had done what they did – wreaking havoc in Springfield, making bomb threats, evacuating and closing government buildings and schools, making threats against the mayor and his family – they would have been arrested by now. They are not above the law,” he added.

While private litigation is rare in Ohio, it is not unheard of. One example is a grocery store charging a customer for a bad check.

State law requires a hearing to be held before the affidavit can be pursued, but no hearing had been scheduled as of Tuesday afternoon.

How does the Trump team react?

Steven Cheung, communications director for the Trump-Vance campaign, said: “President Trump is right to point to the failed immigration system that (Vice President) Kamala Harris has overseen, which has led to thousands of illegal immigrants pouring into communities like Springfield and many others across the country.”

What is the controversy about?

Last week, Springfield was in the news because of false rumors that Haitian migrants were killing and eating pets.

The Republican presidential candidate and Vance have reiterated these claims.

On September 10, in his first debate with his Democratic rival Kamala Harris, Trump claimed: “In Springfield, they eat the dogs – the people who came here. They eat the cats.”

Trump’s comments echoed statements from his campaign team, including his vice presidential candidate, Ohio Senator JD Vance, and other Republicans.

The allegations attracted attention when Vance posted on social media that his office had received “many inquiries” about the kidnapping of pets by Haitian migrants.

Vance later acknowledged that it was possible that “all these rumors turn out to be false.”

Officials say there are no credible or detailed reports of these allegations, even as Trump and his allies use them to reinforce racist stereotypes about black and brown immigrants.

However, these allegations resulted in over 30 bomb threats against state and local government buildings and schools, leading to their closure and the deployment of additional police protection and surveillance cameras.

Some of the city’s Haitian residents also said they feared for their safety amid growing public anger. Mayor Rob Rue has received death threats.

What is behind the rumor?

On September 6, a post appeared on X sharing what appeared to be a screenshot of a social media post that appeared to have originated from Springfield.

The retweeted post claimed that the “neighbor’s daughter’s friend” saw a cat hanging from a tree to be slaughtered and eaten, and claimed, without evidence, that Haitians lived in the house.

The accompanying photo showed a black man carrying what looked like a Canada goose. This post continued to be shared on social media.

Springfield is a small town in Ohio.

Four years ago they had 60,000 inhabitants.

Under Harris and Biden, 20,000 Haitian immigrants were brought to the city.

Now ducks and pets are disappearing. pic.twitter.com/OOFq3ZdTiA

— End of Wokeness (@EndWokeness) 6 September 2024

On Monday, Vance posted something on X.

“Reports say that the pets were kidnapped and eaten by people who do not belong in this country. Where is our border czar?” he asked.

The next day, Vance posted again on X about Springfield, saying his office had received inquiries from residents who said “their neighbors’ pets or wildlife have been kidnapped by Haitian migrants. It is of course possible that all of these rumors turn out to be false.”

Other Republicans shared similar posts.

Among them was Texas Senator Ted Cruz, who posted a photo of kittens with the caption saying people should vote for Trump “so the Haitian immigrants don’t eat us.”

Hours before Trump’s debate with Harris, he posted two corresponding photos on his social media site.

One Truth Social post was a photo of Trump surrounded by cats and geese. Another showed armed cats wearing MAGA hats.

Why did so many Haitians move to Springfield?

Jobs and word of mouth.

Springfield lost manufacturing jobs and, as a result, its population declined significantly toward the end of the last century.

However, the city has made great efforts to attract employers, and Haitian immigrants have helped meet the growing demand for labor in factories and warehouses.

The news spread and in recent years more and more Haitians have come to the United States.

Haitians from Springfield and elsewhere came to the United States to escape violence in their homeland.

The 15,000 to 20,000 Haitian immigrants who have arrived in Springfield in recent years have been granted temporary protected status, allowing them to stay in the United States legally.

With contributions from agencies