Schools in Springfield, Ohio, will reopen Tuesday with increased security due to threats related to false claims about Haitian immigrants

CNN
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In Springfield, Ohio, students attended classes on Tuesday under increased state security as threats related to false claims about Haitian immigrants continue to disrupt daily life in the city.

To increase security at schools in Springfield, where there have been at least 33 bomb threats since the end of last week, state troopers, tower cameras and bomb-sniffing dogs will be deployed, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced Monday.

The threats began after the recent presidential debate, when former President Donald Trump made unfounded allegations that Haitian immigrants in Springfield were stealing and eating domestic cats and dogs. DeWine categorically denied the false rumors about the city's Haitian immigrants, telling CNN that business leaders believe Haitian immigrants are “really essential for them to be able to do their jobs.”

Springfield, in southwest Ohio, has a population of about 60,000 and is about 80 miles north of Cincinnati. The city has seen a 25% population growth in the past three years, partly due to an influx of Haitian immigrants, Mayor Rob Rue told CNN.

Starting Tuesday, 36 officers from the state police mobile task force will comb all 17 school buildings in the district before classes begin and remain on campus throughout the day to provide security, DeWine said.

The governor has also directed the Ohio Department of Homeland Security to conduct “vulnerability assessments” of the city’s infrastructure and provide tower cameras for police.

DeWine noted that bomb-sniffing dogs will be stationed in the city every day.

Philomene Philostin, a Haitian-American business owner in Springfield, says the baseless rumors are hurting people in her community, especially children.

Philostin told CNN that she is a youth leader at her church and that children “who are too young to fully understand the situation” have asked her about the rumors.

Her own child was confronted with uncomfortable questions about Haitian culture, she said, leading to feelings of embarrassment and distress.

“People here are really scared. They are really worried. They don't know what is going to happen,” she said.

Philostin said she wonders every day where the baseless claims about the Haitian community spread by Trump and his running mate JD Vance come from. In her experience, immigrants come to Springfield to work, run businesses, pay taxes and provide for their families, she said.

She wants Trump to apologize for his false accusations, she said. The people of Springfield have children, she noted, and every parent should be able to understand how it feels when their child comes home from school and asks about a bomb threat.

Two colleges and two elementary schools suspended in-person classes on Monday after receiving separate threats – none of which were justified, the governor said.

Students at Simon Kenton and Kenwood elementary schools were evacuated on Monday, the Springfield City School District said in a press release. According to the school district, this brings the total number of district buildings targeted by threats in the last week.

Wittenberg University also announced on Monday that it would switch to online learning for the rest of the week. The reason for this was bomb threats and a shooting on campus that targeted “members of the Haitian community,” the university said.

The university has received five separate threats since Saturday, but most of them have been resolved, university president Michael Frandsen told CNN on Monday. Police authorities have increased patrols on campus, he said.

Clark State College also announced that its campuses would remain closed this week and classes would be held virtually after the school received similar threats via email.

In addition to the city's schools, two hospitals in the region also had to close last week due to threats.

For safety reasons, Springfield also decided to cancel its annual CultureFest, a festival celebrating diversity, arts and culture in the city, which was scheduled for September 27 and 28.

About 12,000 to 15,000 immigrants live in Clark County, whose county seat is Springfield, the city says on its website. In the 2020 presidential election, about 61% of Clark County voters cast their ballots for Donald Trump and Mike Pence and 37% voted for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.

The city says some Haitian immigrants are in the city legally under a parole program, which allows citizens and legal residents to apply to have their family members immigrate to the United States from Haiti.

“The Haitians there are legal and work very, very hard,” DeWine said Monday.

Other claims, such as that Haitians stole geese from local parks, have no evidence, Clark County Sheriff's Office officials said.