SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — A small Ohio town has been flooded with hoax bomb threats since last week’s presidential debate, when former President Donald Trump… falsely accused members of Springfield’s Haitian community who kidnap and eat cats and dogs.
Trump’s running mate, Senator JD Vance of Ohio, has amplified debunked internet rumors over Haitian migrants, as the Republican ticket criticizes the immigration policies of President Joe Biden’s administration, which is backed by Trump’s Democratic opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris. City officials acknowledge the growing pains of the influx of some 15,000 Haitian immigrants but say there is no evidence to support the claim that they are eating anyone’s pets.
More than 30 bomb threats have been carried out against schools, government buildings and homes of city officials since last week, forcing evacuations and closures. Springfield also canceled its annual celebration of diversity, arts and culture in response to the threats, and on Tuesday, state police deployed in schools in the city.
Here are some things you should know about the situation in Springfield:
Foreign actors, mostly. That’s according to Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican who revealed that most of the threats come from overseas. The governor’s office says a criminal investigation by multiple law enforcement agencies determined that the “vast majority” of the threats were of international origin. Officials did not provide further information about how investigators determined they came from a foreign country, and DeWine also declined to reveal the name of the country.
DeWine sent dozens of Ohio State Highway Patrol members to all 18 schools in the city, conducting twice-daily checks to prevent further disruption and reassure parents and students that the buildings are safe. Despite the increased police presence, many parents kept their children home from school Tuesday.
Meanwhile, security cameras have been placed in strategic locations around the city and a bomb-sniffing dog has been sent to Springfield to be on standby 24 hours a day.
And DeWine $2.5 million pledged more than two years to increase support for primary health care. The state highway patrol also assists local law enforcement with traffic enforcement. DeWine said many Haitians are inexperienced drivers and unfamiliar with U.S. traffic laws.
Springfield never wanted to be in the spotlight, not like this.
On Tuesday, city officials said misinformation and lies about Haitian immigrants have sowed fear and division, disrupted learning and cost taxpayers money. In a statement, they implored public figures, community members and the media to “move beyond divisive rhetoric and instead work to promote unity, understanding and respect.” The statement did not mention Trump or Vance by name.
Springfield Mayor Rob Rue has said the influx of immigrants is straining police departments, hospitals and schools. He has also criticized the federal government, saying the city asked for help months ago. But he called on national leaders Tuesday to “temper their words and speak the truth.”
Jobs and word of mouth.
Spring field industrial jobs were lost and the population declined significantly as a result toward the end of the last century. But the city has made a concerted effort to lure employers, and Haitian immigrants have helped meet the growing demand for labor in factories and warehouses. Word spread, and Haitians have begun arriving in greater numbers in recent years.
Haitians in Springfield and elsewhere came to the United States to flee violence in their home country. Many Haitians have come here under a federal program called Temporary Protected Statusallowing them to temporarily live and work in the US, where conditions there are too dangerous to return to Haiti.
Members of the Haitian community say they were already feeling uneasy before Trump and Vance picked up and spread the lies about eating pets. Longtime residents are irritated by the impact the newcomers are having on jobs, housing and traffic.
“Some of them talk about living in fear. Some of them are afraid for their lives,” Rose-Thamar Joseph said last week at Springfield’s Haitian Community Help and Support Center.
Bee a church service Mia Perez said Sunday that her daughter was evacuated from school twice last week.
“Kids at school get asked by other kids, ‘What does dog taste like? What does cat taste like?’” Perez said. “She asks, ‘Are we the kind of Haitians who eat this stuff? Is it true? What’s going on?’”
“This is a conversation I was not ready to have with my daughter,” Perez said. “I felt disrespected by our culture.”
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Rubinkam reported from northeastern Pennsylvania.