Bomb Threats and the F.B.I.: Springfield Disrupted by Trump�s False
Migrants Claim

Springfield, Ohio, is caught in the middle of the nation�s political wars
after former President Donald J. Trump made a debunked claim about
Haitian immigrants and pets.

The dogs and cats of Springfield, Ohio, appear to be perfectly safe, but
many of its people are finding their lives upended this week by political
rumormongering that has resulted in multiple bomb threats, school
closures and a decision to dispatch the F.B.I.

Ever since former President Donald J. Trump claimed on national
television that undocumented migrants were stealing and devouring the
household pets of Springfield � �they�re eating the dogs,� he practically
shouted, �they�re eating the cats� � the rhythms and routines in the city
have not been the same.

Never mind that city authorities have refuted the story and that many
residents called it ridiculous. The furor created by Mr. Trump during
Tuesday night�s presidential debate has put Springfield in the cross-
hairs of the nation�s political wars. For the past two days, bomb threats
have proliferated, closing City Hall, schools and a motor vehicles
office. F.B.I. agents have descended on the community to guard against
danger not to animals but to humans.

The unexpected and unwanted attention generated by Mr. Trump�s false
stories led to real-life confusion and anxiety for some residents.
Schools have been evacuated, children sheltered at home and parents
forced to make other plans during the workday. Gethro Jean, a Haitian
pastor, said that he had been fielding questions from congregants who
were concerned about attending church on Sunday.

�Our town was pinpointed in the debate,� said Cydney Mills, 41, who kept
her three children out of school on Friday after the latest round of bomb
threats. �After that, people are just showing their true colors and
exhibiting hate.�

Jude Earlywine, 14, was in English class at Springfield High School on
Friday morning when he heard that hundreds of young children were filing
into the gymnasium after bomb threats had forced the evacuation of their
elementary schools.

�Everyone was talking about it, and many people got scared because they
thought that thousands of students could be killed if someone really
wanted to bomb us,� he said, noting that his high school alone, the only
one in the city, enrolls more than 1,500 students.

Mr. Trump�s fixation on Springfield drew an angry rebuke on Friday from
President Biden, who denounced his predecessor for trafficking in false
rumors that have demonized Haitian migrants and inflamed the presidential
campaign.

At a brunch on the South Lawn of the White House billed as a �celebration
of Black excellence,� Mr. Biden noted that Haitian immigrants were �under
attack in our country right now,� a reference everyone in the audience
appeared to understand even though he did not name Mr. Trump. �It�s
simply wrong,� Mr. Biden said, his voice rising in indignation. �There�s
no place in America. This has to stop, what he�s doing. It has to stop.�

�This has to stop, what he�s doing,� President Biden said at an event at
the White House, apparently referring to Mr. Trump�s attacks on Haitian
immigrants. �It has to stop.�Credit...Rod Lamkey Jr. for The New York
Times

Mr. Trump refused to back down on Friday and vowed to conduct a mass
deportation from Springfield if he is elected, saying that Haitian
immigrants there were �destroying their way of life.� Although he did not
repeat the claim about the pets, neither did he retract it, even though
his own Republican running mate, Senator JD Vance of Ohio, who first
aired the rumor, has since acknowledged that it may not be true.

�We�re going to get these people out,� Mr. Trump told reporters during a
stop in California. �We�re going to have the largest deportation in the
history of our country and we�re going to start with Springfield and
Aurora,� referring to a city in Colorado where he has said Venezuelan
gangs are �taking over buildings.�

The rumors about Springfield may be tied to right-wing agitators. The day
after the debate, Christopher Pohlhaus, leader of the national neo-Nazi
group Blood Tribe, took credit on his Telegram channel, according to NBC
News. Mr. Pohlhaus wrote that Blood Tribe had �pushed Springfield into
the public consciousness.�

The majority of Haitians in Springfield and elsewhere in the United
States are in the country legally, having received temporary protected
status from the Biden administration under a program started by President
George W. Bush for nationals of countries in turmoil.

Springfield, situated between Dayton and Columbus, has attracted Haitian
immigrants in recent years after city leadership successfully marketed
the city as an attractive place to do business. It is accessible to two
interstates and home to several colleges.

https://archive.ph/TiB8t#selection-4783.0-4913.257

In article <vc2qe2$14lut$3@dont-email.me>, X@Y.com wrote:

>https://archive.ph/TiB8t#selection-4783.0-4913.257
>
>Springfield, Ohio, is caught in the middle of the nation�s political wars
>after former President Donald J. Trump made a debunked claim about
>Haitian immigrants and pets.

Fake news.

--
Let's go Brandon!

>In article <vc2qe2$14lut$3@dont-email.me>, X@Y.com wrote:
>
>>https://archive.ph/TiB8t#selection-4783.0-4913.257
>>
>>Springfield, Ohio, is caught in the middle of the nation's political wars
>>after former President Donald J. Trump made a debunked claim about
>>Haitian immigrants and pets.
>
>Fake news.
>

He said live on TV in front of 67 million viewers, you idiot.