SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — In the middle of the threats and national attention about the Haitian population in Springfield, something else started happening. Supporters started packing Haitian restaurants.

Mia Perez had no idea when she helped get a Haitian restaurant open in Springfield that she would be taking a different kind of phone call.

“People would call saying 'can I get a side order of dogs, dogs or cats?'" she said. "You know, we just kill them with kindness and say 'well, we don't serve that, but this is what we can serve you if you come in.'"

Perez is a Haitian lawyer who’s been volunteering at Keket Bon Gout Caribbean restaurant ever since those false claims became part of the national debate on immigration. 

“To hear that, to become a reason why somebody is like making fun of us or downgrading us and talking about our cuisine, I was shocked….I felt disrespected," Perez said.

That’s when something else unexpected happened. 

“I thought I would hunt down a locally owned Haitian restaurant just to come in and eat some delicious food and show my support," said Jenny Smith, who was dining in at the restaurant. 

Smith came from out of state to grab lunch, and several other supporters started to follow, packing local Haitian restaurants.

“With all of the craziness and some things being said that, I just think it's it's wrong and it's terrible, and so I wanted to show my support and let these people know that not everybody thinks that way and I, for one, am a believer that the United States of America is made better by immigrants and people from all over coming here," Smith said.

Workers say it’s the busiest they’ve been since opening earlier this year in a show of support that, for Perez, now outweighs everything else. 

“I’m happy for the support because this could have gone another way," she said. "People could have just stayed away from Haitian food, but they're embracing it, and they're making the Haitians feel like, you know what, you're not by yourself, and we are coming to eat your food."