Topline
Ohio’s governor announced Monday he has ordered troopers from the Ohio State Highway Patrol to provide security to schools in Springfield as the city receives bomb threats tied to the spread of false rumors about Haitian migrants in the city that have prompted school evacuations.
People watch as Springfield Police Department officers investigate the Springfield City Hall after … [+]
Key Facts
Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said the decision to place troopers in Springfield City School District buildings follows “a series of unfounded bomb threats,” many of which he said are “coming in from overseas” and seek to “fuel the current discord surrounding Springfield.”
DeWine clarified that none of the threats Springfield has received have been legitimate and said this is being done “purely as a precaution to prevent further disruption within” the district.
Starting Tuesday, each of the district’s 18 buildings will be swept by troopers before students and faculty arrive, and troopers will remain on-site throughout the day.
DeWine’s announcement came the same day two colleges near Springfield moved to virtual classes and two elementary schools were evacuated over bomb threats, CNN reported, and a number of schools were evacuated last week.
The threats increased last week after Republican leaders amplified baseless rumors that Haitian migrants were eating cats and dogs in the city, which has seen an influx of migrants from Haiti in recent years.
City officials previously told Forbes there have been “no credible reports or specific claims of pets being harmed, injured or abused by individuals within the immigrant community,” and local officials have said the claims are harmful to the city.
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Why Is Springfield, Ohio, Receiving Bomb Threats?
Threats against schools in Springfield—along with other public buildings like City Hall, the Bureau of Motor Vehicles and hospitals—increased last week when Republican vice presidential nominee and Ohio Sen. JD Vance and former President Donald Trump, along with others in the party, amplified false claims that Haitian migrants were eating pets there. Vance made the claims early last week, saying he had “received many inquiries from actual residents of Springfield who’ve said their neighbors’ pets or local wildlife were abducted by Haitian migrants”—though he did not provide evidence. On the presidential debate stage last Tuesday, Trump reiterated the claim that dogs and cats were being eaten by Haitian migrants, drawing significantly more attention to the baseless rumors.
Big Number
36. That’s how many state troopers will be stationed in the Springfield City School District, according to DeWine’s announcement.
Key Background
Springfield—which had a population of 58,000 people in 2020—has had an influx of about 20,000 Haitian migrants in recent years. Many of the migrants hold legal status through a temporary federal program and came to the area for work as Springfield has had an uptick in manufacturing jobs. DeWine on ABC News on Sunday pushed back on the claims spread by Vance and Trump, saying many members of the Haitian community “are very good workers” and improving the Springfield economy. DeWine said the rumor was “a piece of garbage that was simply not true,” adding there was “no evidence at all.” Springfield Mayor Rob Rue also criticized the rumors and said the city was being “smeared,” adding political leaders on the national stage need to understand the impact their words can have on cities like Springfield.
Contra
Despite local leadership reiterating that the claims being spread are unsubstantiated, Vance defended his claims Sunday. He told CNN’s Dana Bash he was trying to highlight problems in Springfield that were previously being ignored, and said he wanted to “create stories so that the American media actually pays attention to the suffering of the American people.” Vance clarified he did not admit to making up the stories, but said he meant they were “creating the American media focusing on it.”
Tangent
DeWine announced a number of other precautions to increase security in Springfield. He said Ohio Homeland Security will start vulnerability assessments on “critical infrastructure” in the city and will provide tower cameras for the police to use to “enhance situational awareness.” Bomb detection dogs will also be stationed in Springfield each day moving forward.
