As former President Donald Trump continues to push unsubstantiated claims about Haitian migrants and after a bomb threat rattled Springfield, Ohio, local leaders say that politicians who have “negatively spun” their community “need to know they’re hurting our city.”
The city in southwestern Ohio, which has just under 59,000 residents, has been thrown onto the national debate stage after false claims spread that Haitian migrants who have settled in Springfield are eating pets and other livestock. Police say they have “no credible reports” of the claims that have been pushed online in part due to comments by Trump, his running mate Ohio Senator JD Vance and other supporters of the former president’s reelection campaign.
During his first debate with Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday, which attracted over 67 million viewers, Trump amplified the baseless claims while attacking the Biden administration’s immigration policies, saying from the stage, “In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs—the people that came in. They’re eating the cats.”
The comments have sparked mockery online for Trump, and some of his supporters have attempted to make light of Trump’s words. But on Thursday, after multiple city agencies were targeted in a bomb threat, Springfield Mayor Rob Rue, a Republican, condemned the rhetoric, telling WSYX in an interview, “All these federal politicians that have negatively spun our city, they need to know they’re hurting our city, and it was their words that did it.”
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Officials said the bomb threat was directed at entities like City Hall, the Clark County courthouse and two elementary schools. Rue told The Washington Post during an interview that the threat included “hateful language towards immigrants and Haitians in our community.”
During evacuations and police investigations, authorities did not find a bomb or threat to safety. Rue reiterated during his interview with WSYX that claims of migrants hurting or eating animals were “just not happening in our community.”
“Pets are safe in our community, and it’s unfortunate that there was a spotlight put on a story that was validated that was not true at all,” Rue added.
When asked if he places any responsibility on Trump for the threat, Rue said he was “not going to answer that,” but reiterated that false rhetoric was playing a role in the safety of his community.
“When a federal politician has the stage, and they don’t take the opportunity to build up the community, instead of inadvertently not understanding what their words are, what they’re going to do to the community, it can really hurt the community like it’s hurting ours,” the mayor said. “We’ve been punched in a way we should not have been punched.”
Newsweek attempted to contact the Springfield City Commission office on Thursday but its number had been disconnected.
City officials, including Rue, have previously raised concerns pertaining to Springfield’s growing migrant population impacting city infrastructure, including schools and housing opportunities. During an appearance on Fox and Friends First in July, Rue blamed the Biden administration’s handling of the U.S. southern border for the “quick increase” in his city’s population, adding that from 15,000 to 20,000 Haitian migrants had immigrated to Springfield in just a few years.
“This border crisis, the policy of this administration, is failing cities like ours and taxing us beyond our limit,” Rue said.
Springfield City Manager Bryan Heck released a video statement on Wednesday, saying that the town “is making notable progress that contributes to its growing appeal among new residents, including immigrants,” adding that the city had seen a growth in workforce across multiple industries in recent years.
“While we are experiencing challenges related to the rapid growth of our immigrant population, these challenges are due to the pace of the growth rather than the rumors being reported,” Heck added.
Ohio Republican Governor Mike DeWine announced on Wednesday that his administration will be providing additional support, such as a $2.5 million boost to Springfield’s health care services for new arrivals. Ohio State Highway Patrol personnel is also being dispatched to the city to help local law enforcement with traffic issues—officials said there has been an increase in violations due to Haitian drivers who are unfamiliar with U.S. traffic laws.
DeWine also said earlier this week: “I think we should take the word of the city manager and the mayor that they’ve found no credible evidence of that story, of Haitians eating pets.”
Trump again repeated the claims about Haitian immigrants harming animals during a campaign rally in Tucson, Arizona, on Thursday night.
“Twenty-thousand illegal Haitian immigrants have descended on a town of 58,000 people, destroying their way of life,” Trump told supporters. “This was a beautiful community, now it’s … Residents are reporting that the migrants are walking off with the town’s geese. They’re taking the geese. You know where the geese are, in the park. And even walking off with their pets.”
When reached for comment, Trump’s campaign sent a statement to Newsweek condemning the “unhinged rhetoric from Democrats” about the former president. Trump and his supporters have blamed attacks from Democrats as part of the reason for the assassination attempt at Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania on July 13.
“To this day, if anyone dares to suggest that unhinged rhetoric from Democrats like Kamala Harris and [President] Joe Biden may have influenced a psychopath to attempt to assassinate President Trump, the left wing media melts down—it’s laughable these same media outlets are now attempting to tie this threat to the GOP ticket,” read the statement from Trump campaign national press secretary Karoline Leavitt and Vance spokesperson Luke Schroeder.
“President Trump and Senator Vance condemn these threats and believe those responsible should be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law,” the statement continued.
Investigators in July said that Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, the gunman in the assassination attempt on Trump, searched online for information on campaign rallies of both Biden and Trump, according to the Associated Press. Crooks was a registered Republican but also made a minor donation to Progressive Turnout Project, a Democratic-leaning group.
Update 09/13/24, 7:24 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional comment from Trump’s campaign and further information.
