The mayor of Springfield, Ohio, which has been the target of baseless claims from former President Donald Trump and Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) about Haitian immigrants, said a visit from the former president would not be in the city’s best interest.
Rumors that Haitian immigrants were eating pets in the Ohio town were running rampant on social media leading up to the presidential debate. At the debate, Trump brought the baseless claims to national attention when he said the immigrant community was “eating the dogs” and other pets of Springfield residents.
Now, the town has seen dozens of bomb threats, prompting evacuations of schools and universities, which have been closed or remote this week. Trump said he would visit Springfield “soon,” but the mayor does not appear to be so welcoming.
“It would be an extreme strain on our resources. So it’d be fine with me if they decided not to make that visit,” Mayor Rob Rue said at a news conference at city hall, according to NBC News.
Gov. Mike DeWine (R-OH) said a visit from a presidential candidate is “generally very, very welcomed” but acknowledged it would be a challenge for the town at this time.
“I have to state the reality, though, that resources are really, really stretched here,” he said.
DeWine also said he hasn’t spoken to Trump or Vance and had not heard about the Trump-Vance ticket visiting Springfield. Vance told reporters on Tuesday that he does not have plans to visit Springfield.
“I haven’t made plans to go just in the last few days,” Vance said. “I know the president would like to go but also hasn’t made any explicit plans.”
On the debate stage, Trump repeated the falsehoods about Springfield, saying, “The people that came in, they’re eating the cats. They’re eating the pets of the people that live there. And this is what’s happening in our country, and it’s a shame.”
ABC News moderator David Muir told Trump the claims were baseless, saying, “ABC News did reach out to the city manager there. He told us there have been no credible reports of specific claims of pets being harmed, injured, or abused by individuals within the immigrant community.”
Trump held firm, saying, “The people on television say, ‘My dog was taken and used for food,’” without offering evidence of his claims.
“I’m not taking this from television. I’m taking this from the city manager,” Muir responded.
Around 15,000 Haitian immigrants have arrived in Springfield legally since 2018, according to the Associated Press.
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Melanie Flax Wilt, a Republican commissioner in the county where Springfield is located, said she wants community leaders and elected officials to “stop feeding the fear.”
“After the election and everybody’s done using Springfield, Ohio, as a talking point for immigration reform, we are going to be the ones here still living through the challenges and coming up with the solutions,” she said.
