The bomb threat that resulted in the evacuation of Springfield City Hall in Ohio on Thursday used harmful language against the city’s immigrant community, aligning with recent false claims touted by Republicans, including former President Trump.
Springfield Mayor Rob Rue told The Washington Post that the threat “used hateful language towards immigrants and Haitians in our community.”
At the second presidential debate Tuesday, Trump said migrants are “eating the dogs” in the rural town 45 minutes west of Columbus.
“What they have done to our country by allowing these millions and millions of people to come into our country — and look at what’s happening to the towns [in the] United States. A lot of towns don’t want to talk,” Trump said. “Not going to be Aurora [or] Springfield. A lot of towns don’t want to talk about it, because they’re so embarrassed by it. In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs.”
At a campaign stop in Arizona on Thursday afternoon, Trump doubled down on these claims, emphasizing that “20,000 illegal Haitian immigrants have descended on a town of 58,000 people, destroying their way of life.”
2024 Election Coverage
“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,” Trump said.
City officials continue to insist that’s not the case, and Rue said these claims have “hurt” the community.
“Springfield is a dynamic community with many positive attributes,” Springfield city manager Bryan Heck added via a video statement Wednesday. “It is disappointing that some of the narrative surrounding our city has been skewed by misinformation circulating on social media and further amplified by political rhetoric.”