Springfield, Ohio is reeling from a string of bomb threats after a steady diet of anti-immigrant hate from top Republicans, including former President Donald Trump. The hate narratives, especially against Haitian immigrants, have gone from words to actions and now the community is in real danger.
On Thursday multiple city, county and school buildings were evacuated after bomb threats were called in. The city manager’s office confirmed the evacuations.
By Friday morning, one middle school and two elementary schools, including Fulton Elementary School, were also evacuated due to new threats with local officials linking the incidents to the growing anti-immigrant rhetoric from some Republican leaders. The city manager’s office confirmed that several elementary schools including Perrin Woods and Snowhill were evacuated due to bomb threats. Roosevelt Middle School was also closed before the school day started according to local law enforcement.
These threats follow a similar wave of evacuations in Clark County on Thursday where public buildings like city hall, courts, BMV offices, a health department and another elementary school were all targeted. Springfield police did not release more information but said the threats on Friday were separate from the
Bomb Threat at City Hall Targets Immigrants
Springfield Mayor Rob Rue said the email to Springfield City Hall with the bomb threat included hate comments about immigrants, specifically Haitians.
Springfield is in the national spotlight as Republicans are competing with each other to see who can be the most hateful and the city’s Haitian community is the target of conspiracy theories.
Despite the danger this rhetoric poses Trump and Vance show no signs of backing off. Instead they are fueling fear and resentment with lies about immigrants in Springfield even as tensions in the city rise and the risk of re
GOP Strategy: Scapegoat Innocent People to Create Fear and Get Votes
The results of the GOP’s fear based strategy are clear.
Innocent hard working people—many of whom are immigrants contributing to their communities—are being scapegoated, harassed and put in harm’s way. Instead of offering real solutions to economic uncertainty Republicans like Trump are exploiting these fears and using immigrants as a convenient target for their divisive agenda.
The threats come as the city is in the political spotlight with an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 Haitian immigrants in the city. Republican figures including former President Donald Trump and his vice-presidential candidate J.D. Vance have been making unsubstantiated and widely criticized claims about the Haitian immigrant population. Those claims rejected by local officials and denounced as racist by many in the community include that some immigrants are stealing and
Springfield Mayor Rob Rue has publicly denounced the bomb threats and directly tied them to the hateful rhetoric of Republican politicians. In an interview he said “there’s enough hate in that email to scare you” and connected the violent threats to the national narrative. “All these federal politicians that have been bashing our city, they need to know they’re hurting our city and it was their w
While Mayor Rue is concerned for the city’s safety Republican leaders are continuing to fan the flames.
J.D. Vance posted on social media and said the Haitian immigration wave is due to rising crime, disease and high rent and insurance costs and that “Reports now show people have had their pets abducted and eaten by people who shouldn’t be in this country.”
Trump also chimed in saying Ohio is “being inundated with Illegal Migrants, mostly from Haiti, who are taking over Towns and Villages at a level and rate n
Despite the danger of these claims the anti-immigration rhetoric from Republican leaders shows no signs of slowing down. The tension between local officials, immigrant communities and national politicians will only continue to grow as the issue gets more national attention.
The threats and evacuations came after former President Donald Trump’s comments during a debate earlier this week. During the debate Trump made unsubstantiated claims that Haitian immigrants in Springfield were killing and eating pets putting the city in the news. The Springfield Police Department provided the school district with information regarding an unspecified threat, which led to the evacuation of students from various elementary and middle schools in Springfield, Ohio.
“They’re Eating the Dogs. They’re Eating the Cats.”
During the debate former President Donald Trump repeated a long debunked claim that Haitian immigrants in Springfield were stealing and eating residents’ pets. “They’re eating the dogs. They’re eating the cats. They’re eating the pets of the people that live there” Trump said. The conspiracy theory has been proven false by local officials but it has taken hold and is fueling the tension in the city.
These claims have been thoroughly denied by Springfield’s mayor, city manager, police chief and Ohio Governor Mike DeWine who have all said
Springfield Mayor Rob Rue has directly connected these threats to the hate speech from top Republicans including Trump, his running mate Ohio Senator J.D. Vance and other GOP leaders. In an interview with WSYX Rue said “Pets are safe in our community and it’s unfortunate that a spotlight was shone on a story that was completely made up.”
While there is no evidence to support the claims of pets being stolen and eaten, figures like Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost and Fox News host Jesse Watters are now making unverified claims that Haitian immigrants are hunting and eating wild
On Friday Lt. Governor Jon Husted who is expected to run for Governor in 2026 posted a photo of geese with the caption “Most Americans agree these migrants should be deported” in a clear shot at the current situation.
This hasn’t helped to calm things down and has only added to the confusion
Haitian Immigrants Are Scared
The Haitian Times reported that some members of Springfield’s Haitian community are so scared by the hate speech that they are keeping their children home from school fearing for their safety. “We’re all victims this morning” said one Haitian resident who asked to remain anonymous for fear of reprisal. “They’re attacking
While local officials are trying to calm things down Trump’s campaign responded by saying the former president will continue to speak for those who are concerned about illegal immigration.
But the fallout from Trump’s comments has left Springfield’s Haitian community in a state of panic. Marc FeQuiere executive director of the Haitian Community Network in Ohio said many community members are now living in fear and are thinking of leaving the city. “People are scared now and they’re calling me wanting to sell whatever they have and leave” FeQuiere said. “Most people didn’t even send their kids to school today because they are afra
And to make things worse reports of vandalism against immigrant properties and fear within the Haitian community are spreading. Many Haitians in the city are now scared for their lives as they deal with the bomb threats and the anti-immi
The situation in Springfield shows the impact of political rhetoric and how it can fuel tensions and the real life consequences it has on vulnerable communities. As authorities investigate the threats the city is on high alert.
Struggling to Integrate the Immigrant Newcomers
Springfield a city of 58,000 has been struggling to cope with the influx of 15,000 to 20,000 Haitian immigrants over the past 5 years. Many of the newcomers are in the US under Temporary Protected Status (TPS) due to the instability in Haiti. The rapid growth of the population has put a strain on local resources with schools, healthcare facilities and other services struggling to keep up with the demand.
In response to the situation Governor DeWine announced earlier this week he will be deploying state highway patrol officers to Springfield and providing $2.5 million in additional healthcare funding to help ease the pressure on the city
Despite all these challenges many credit the Haitian immigrant community with bringing new life to Springfield which had been in decline since the 90s. The new residents have brought new energy to a city that had been stagnant for years.
As Springfield deals with these threats and the rhetoric the city’s Haitian community is on edge hoping for a solution that brings back peace to their neighborhood.
The National GOP Playbook to Weaponize Xenophobia
The anti-immigrant rhetoric in Springfield is part of a national trend and experts say such rhetoric can lead to violence. Fears of an “immigrant invasion” and conspiracy theories like the “great replacement” have been cited as factors in several mass shootings over the past 6 years including in El Paso, Buffa
The bomb threats and hateful rhetoric in Springfield is not happening in a vacuum. It’s part of a larger pattern of violence and threats fueled by xenophobic rhetoric. During Trump’s presidency his rhetoric was linked to several acts of violence including the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting in 2018 and the attempted bombings of prominent Democrats and media organizations by a Trump support
Trump’s refusal to tone down his language even in the face of threats is a pattern of his leadership. On Thursday after the Springfield bomb threat was reported Trump went on a tirade about Haitian immigrants saying they were in Springfield illegally and that their presence was an invasion. This was after local officials had already linked the bomb threats to the anti-immigrant rhetoric.
As Springfield deals with these dangerous situation local leaders are calling for a more responsible approach. Mayor Rue and other city officials acknowledge that the influx of Haitian immigrants—most of whom have Temporary Protected Status (TPS) due to the instability in Haiti—has been a challenge. But they also recognize the positive impact these immigrants have brought to the community including reviving the local economy and fillin
Despite all this nuance Trump and his supporters are still painting immigrants as the enemy. Vance in particular has justified his rhetoric by saying it brings attention to the supposed negative effects of immigration. In reality it’s only deepened the divide and fueled conspiracy theories as we see with the bomb threats.
As the situation in Springfield gets more volatile it’s clear Trump and Vance’s top priority is to fan the flames not offer solutions. They’re turning the city into a battlefield for their political ambitions with no regard for the real w
This is what happens when words matter. The hateful language from Trump and his supporters has now been linked to an actual threat of violence and innocent people are in danger. Yet local leaders are calling for calm and Trump and Vance are fanning the flames instead of bringing the community together.
Aurora, Colorado
In Colorado Venezuelan immigrants have been targeted by Trump’s false claims about crime. In typical Trump fashion he’s manipulated the crime statistics to say Venezuelan immigrants are gang members “taking over” Colorado cities. Despite these figures being debunked Trump’s allies including his former immigration adviser Stephen Miller are still spreading this hate and fueling xenophobia.
Aurora Colorado resident Carlos Ordosgoitti whose building was falsely labeled as a gang hideout by conservatives told NBC’s Denver affiliate “I’m really scared to be outside past 7 or 8 pm because you never know who can come around to harm us” Ordosgoitti said. This is what happens when right wing fi
Local politicians are jumping on the anti-immigrant bandwagon and making things worse. Aurora City Council member Danielle Jurinsky even suggested there was a “cover up” because there was no evidence of crime in immigrant communities. She’s since walked that back but the damage is done.
This is happening with other immigrant communities too. Trump has been amplifying fake stories including one from the social media account Libs of TikTok which said a Venezuelan gang had taken over a building in Chicago. The false narrative was then amplified by Tesla CEO Elon Musk on his X (formerly Twitter) account spreading the misinforma
The politicians amplifying these lies have deepened the divide and increased the fear. Springfield Mayor Rob Rue told Fox28 “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.”
Hijacking a Personal Tragedy, With Grieving Father Begging the GOP to Stop
Even the personal tragedy of Ohio resident Nathan Clark has been used by right wing rhetoric. His son Aidan Clark was killed last year when a Haitian immigrant accidentally hit his school bus. Conservative politicians have shamelessly used Aidan’s death in their hate campaign against immigrants. At a Springfield City Commission meeting Nathan Clark spoke out against the use of his son’s name in their rhetoric. “I wish my son was killed by a 60 year old white man” Clark said. “If that guy killed my 11 year old son the hate spewing people woul
This is what happens when personal tragedies and xenophobic rhetoric are exploited. We’ve seen this pattern of hate over the past few years. From the surge in anti-Asian hate crimes during the COVID pandemic fueled by Trump’s use of derogatory terms like “Kung Flu” and “Chinese Virus” to the rise of antisemitism tied to MAGA conspiracy theories this is what happens when vulnerable communities are targeted for political gain.
During the debate Trump said Haitian immigrants in Springfield were “destroying” the local way of life. But despite the divisive rhetoric these Haitian Americans are part of the community. In a country built by immigrants Trump’s blame game only seeks to isolate and devide.
Protect Our Communities from Hate. Vote Your Conscience
We must act now to protect our communities from this vitrol. Springfield and its immigrants deserve better than this. America deserves better than this. Despite yoru political affiliation, vote your conscience on November 5th.
