Springfield, Ohio, schools open with increased security amid threats linked to false claims about Haitian immigrants
A Haitian father tried to pick his son up from Fulton Elementary School
(CNN) — Students in Springfield, Ohio, were attending classes Tuesday with increased security provided by the state, as threats linked to false claims about Haitian immigrants continue to disrupt daily life in the city.
State troopers, tower cameras and bomb detection dogs will be deployed to enhance security at Springfield schools, which have received at least 33 bomb threats since late last week, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced Monday.
The threats began rolling in after the recent presidential debate, when former President Donald Trump touted unfounded allegations that Haitian immigrants in Springfield are stealing and eating pet cats and dogs. DeWine flatly denied the false rumors about the city’s Haitian immigrants and told CNN business leaders feel Haitian immigrants are “really essential to them getting the job done.”
Springfield, in southwestern Ohio, has a population of around 60,000 and is about 80 miles north of Cincinnati. The city has experienced 25% population growth in the past three years, in part because of the influx of Haitian immigrants, Mayor Rob Rue has told CNN.
Starting Tuesday, 36 troopers from the state patrol’s mobile field force will sweep each of the district’s 17 school buildings before classes start and will remain on campus throughout the day to provide security, DeWine said.
The governor has also directed Ohio Homeland Security to conduct “vulnerability assessments” on the city’s infrastructure and to provide tower cameras for police use.
Bomb detection dogs will be stationed in the city every day, DeWine noted.
Philomene Philostin, a Haitian American business owner in Springfield, says the baseless rumors are hurting people in her community – particularly, the children.
Philostin told CNN she is a youth leader at her church, where children “who are too young to fully understand” the issues at hand have been asking her about the rumors.
Her own child has faced uncomfortable questions about Haitian culture, she said, which have led to feelings of embarrassment and distress.
“People here, they’re really scared. They’re really worried. They don’t know what’s going to happen,” she said.
Philostin said she asks herself every day where the baseless claims about the Haitian community that Trump and his running mate, JD Vance, have been spreading are coming from. Her experience is that immigrants come to Springfield to work, run businesses, pay taxes and take care of their families, she said.
She would like Trump to apologize for his false accusations, she said. The people of Springfield have children, she noted, and any parent should be able to understand the feeling of having a child come home from school asking about a bomb threat.
Two colleges and two elementary schools shut down in-person learning Monday after receiving separate threats – none of which were valid, the governor said.
Students at Simon Kenton and Kenwood Elementary schools were evacuated Monday based on information district officials got from the city’s police, the Springfield City School District said in a release. That marks six buildings within the district to be targeted by threats within the last week, the district said.
Wittenberg University also announced Monday it would move to virtual learning for the rest of the week because of the bomb threats and a campus shooting threat that targeted “members of the Haitian community,” the university said.
The university has received five separate threats since Saturday, and most have been resolved, school President Michael Frandsen told CNN on Monday. Law enforcement agencies have increased patrols on campus, he said.
Clark State College also announced its campuses will be closed this week and classes will be held virtually after the school received similar threats through email.
In addition to the city’s schools, two area hospitals were forced to shut down last week because of threats.
Amid the safety concerns, Springfield also decided to cancel its annual “CultureFest,” a festival celebrating diversity, art and culture in the city that had been scheduled for September 27 and 28.
Baseless claims about the Haitian community
Approximately 12,000 to 15,000 immigrants live in Clark County, where Springfield is the county seat, the city notes on its website. In the 2020 presidential election, around 61% of Clark County voters cast their ballots in favor of Donald Trump and Mike Pence and 37% voted for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.
The city says some Haitian immigrants are there legally as part of a parole program that allows citizens and lawful residents to apply to have their family members from Haiti come to the United States.
“These Haitians that are there are legal, they work very, very hard,” DeWine said Monday.
There was no evidence to support other claims – such as Haitians stealing geese out of local parks – officials with the Clark County Sheriff’s Office said.
The-CNN-Wire
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CNN’s Paradise Afshar, Chris Boyette, Kit Maher and Taylor Romine contributed to this report.
