The city of Springfield, Ohio, was thrust into the national spotlight on Tuesday, Sept. 10, during the first presidential debate between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris after Trump leveled false claims that Haitian migrants in the city were abducting and eating people’s pets in the community. Now, all that attention may be putting people in real danger, with reports of a bomb threat being made against multiple city agencies, including Springfield City Hall, and local media outlets on Thursday, Sept. 12.
In response to the threat, law enforcement officials said that people were cleared out of offices as a precaution. Police urged people to avoid the area as they investigated the evacuated buildings and surrounding areas.
It’s unclear if the bomb threat is related to the Haitian immigrant conspiracy theory, floated by Trump and his running mate Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, but the city’s mayor and even Gov. Mike Dewine, R-Ohio, have been forced to refute the claims, denying any reports that pets were being eaten.
The Haitian Bridge Alliance condemned the remarks from the former president as “baseless and inflammatory” and of perpetuating stereotypes against immigrants. As many as 15,000 Haitian immigrants have reportedly arrived in Springfield since 2020 likely drawn to the region because of the low cost of living.
