Overseas threats hit Ohio city where Trump's lies slandered Haitians

Overseas threats hit the Ohio city where Trump and Vance lies slandered immigrants over dogs and cats

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine speaks at a press conference at Springfield City Hall.

By Patrick Aftoora Orsagos and Michael Rubinkam

Sept. 17, 2024 10:19 AM PT

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — State police were stationed at Springfield schools Tuesday in response to a rash of bomb threats — the vast majority of which were from overseas, officials said — after former President Trump and his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, falsely suggested legal Haitian immigrants in the small city were eating dogs and cats.

Schools, government buildings and elected officials’ homes in Springfield were among the targets of more than 30 hoax threats last week that forced evacuations and closures. Two more schools had to be evacuated Monday. Republican Gov. Mike DeWine said that a foreign actor was largely responsible, but he declined to name the country.

“The vast majority of the bomb threats came from foreign countries. Not 100%, but it’s the vast majority,” Dan Tierney, DeWine’s spokesperson, said Tuesday.

Tierney said a criminal investigation by multiple law enforcement agencies yielded information on the origin of the bomb threats. He was not more specific on how investigators determined they came from a foreign country, nor would he reveal the name of the country, saying that could encourage additional threats.

“These are largely foreign actors, not folks in the community or another part of the United States,” he said. “We think it’s useful in part because it shows that it’s, you know, false, that it’s safe to send your kids to school. And we’re providing extra patrol support to make sure people feel safe at school.”

DeWine announced Monday that he was dispatching dozens of members of the Ohio State Highway Patrol to help keep schools open. Two highway patrol officers have been assigned to each of the Springfield City School District’s 18 schools, said Jenna Leinasars, a district spokesperson.

“The troopers will conduct sweeps of the buildings for threats prior to school and sweep again, after school has ended. In between these sweeps, the troopers will be stationed at the building for the entire day,” she said.

State police were visible at a middle school Tuesday morning, with students dropped off as normal.

Thousands of Haitian immigrants have settled in recent years in the predominantly white, blue-collar city of about 60,000, about 45 miles from the state capital of Columbus, where they have found work in factories and warehouses that had been struggling to fill job openings. The influx has strained schools, healthcare facilities and city services and driven up housing costs.

Orsagos and Rubinkam write for the Associated Press and reported from Springfield and Pennsylvania, respectively.