Father of Ohio boy killed by Haitian migrant in Springfield crash makes shocking remarks as town is put at forefront of presidential debate

The father of an 11-year-old boy killed in a crash by a Haitian migrant said he wished the driver had been a white man so the tragedy wouldn't be used to score political points.

Nathan Clark, alongside his wife Danielle, spoke during a City Commission meeting on Tuesday Springfield - the Ohio city now at the forefront of the immigration debate, after Donald Trump repeated unconfirmed claims migrants have been eating the local's pets.

Their son Aiden Clark was killed and more than 20 students were injured when a minivan driven by unlicensed migrant Hermanio Joseph struck his school bus in August 2023. 

His death was a tipping point in the community's attitude towards the surge in migrants.

'I wish that my son was killed by a 60-year-old white man. I bet you never thought anyone would say something so blunt,' an emotional Clark told the audience, as first reported by WHIO. 

'But if that guy killed my 11-year-old son, the incessant group of hate-spewing people would leave us alone.'

Clark added: ' My son Aiden Clark was not murdered. He was accidentally killed by an immigrant from Haiti.... The last thing that we need is to have the worst day of our lives violently and constantly shoved in our faces. 

'They make it seem as though our wonderful Aiden appreciates your hate, that we should follow their hate. and look what you've done to us. We have to get up here and beg them to stop.

Clark asked Donald Trump and his VP pick, Ohio senator JD Vance, to apologize for using his son as a 'political tool, calling them 'morally bankrupt politicians.'

The father also mentioned Ohio's Republican nominee for the Senate Bernie Moreno, and GOP Rep. Chip Roy from Texas.

He said: 'They have spoken my son’s name and used his death for political gain. This needs to stop, now. They can vomit all the hate they want about illegal immigrants, the border crisis, and even untrue claims about fluffy pets being ravaged and eaten by community members. However they are not allowed, nor have they ever been allowed to mention Aiden Clark from Springfield, Ohio...

'This needs to stop now, I will listen to them one more time to hear their apologies... 

'What many people in this community and state and nation are doing is the opposite of what you should be doing. Sure we have our problems here in Springfield and in the U.S., but does Aiden Clark have anything to do with that?'

Vance has mentioned Aiden's death as a reason to oppose immigration.

A spokesperson for Vance told DailyMail.com on Wednesday that VP Kamala Harris should be the one apologizing.

'Kamala Harris should apologize to the angel mothers who testified before Congress yesterday,' said spokesman Luke Schroeder.

'Will she apologize to Tammy Nobles, Alexis Nungaray, or Anne Fundner? They hold her and her open borders policies accountable for the deaths of their children. The Clark family is in Senator Vance's prayers.'

During last night's fiery presidential debate between Trump and Harris, the former president ranted about Haitian migrants 'eating pets' in Springfield.

'In Springfield, they're eating the dogs. The people that came in, they're eating the cats,' the Republican candidate said.

The claims, dismissed during the debate by the Vice President as 'unbelievable and extreme', have electrified the American political debate. 

While city officials and law enforcement officers in Springfield say there have been no credible reports to suggest they are true, some fed-up residents maintain that it's a problem. 

Some 15,000 Haitians have arrived in the city of about 59,000 people since 2020 under a Temporary Protected Status program, with some residents saying they have strained public services. 

Gov. Mike DeWine said Tuesday he doesn’t oppose the Temporary Protected Status program and will send law enforcement and millions of dollars in healthcare resources to the city

Ohio has already provided additional resources to Springfield to help with education and training for drivers, to pay for more vaccines and health screenings in schools, and to enhance translation services, explained DeWine. But he’s taking additional action.

'These dramatic surges impact every citizen of the community, every citizen,' he said, noting additional influxes are occurring in Findlay and Lima, Ohio. 'Moms who have to wait hours in a waiting room with a sick child, everyone who drives on the streets, and it affects children who go to school in more crowded classrooms.'

On Wednesday, the Ohio State Highway Patrol will be dispatched to help local law enforcement with traffic issues that officials say have cropped up due to an increase in Haitians unfamiliar with U.S. traffic laws using the roads. 

DeWine said he is also earmarking $2.5 million over two years to provide more primary healthcare through the county health department and private healthcare institutions.