The mayor of the Ohio city at the center of a firestorm over immigration says that his town needs help — not the hate that has been stirred by politicians and extremists.

“We are hurting,” the mayor of Springfield, Rob Rue, said in an interview with The New York Times on Thursday.

The tensions over the growing Haitian population in Springfield exploded this week after former President Donald Trump used the presidential debate to spread debunked rumors that Haitians were stealing pets and eating them.

On Thursday, bomb threats led to the evacuation of Springfield City Hall, two schools and the state motor vehicle agency’s local facility.

Rue said the threats, which came by email, were a “hateful response to immigration in our town.”

“Obviously, the negative response and threats are very sad and hard to handle,” he said. “We want to move forward together, and it just makes it more difficult to do that when we have violent actions and threats.”

Related Story: An Ohio City Reshaped by Haitian Immigrants Lands in an Unwelcome Spotlight

Attention Pointed Towards the Town

Even before the debate, the city had been drawing attention, stirred by Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance, and others who sought to portray the influx of Haitians as a failure of the Biden administration’s immigration policies.

“It’s frustrating when national politicians, on the national stage, mischaracterize what is actually going on and misrepresent our community,” Rue said.

While the arrival of thousands of Haitian immigrants has strained schools and some government services, most of the Haitians are in the United States legally and many have filled jobs in local industry.

But it was the death of 11-year-old Aiden Clark, killed last year when his school bus was struck by a minivan driven by a Haitian immigrant, that began stirring anger and anxiety, ultimately thrusting Springfield into a vitriolic national debate over immigration.

Related Story: JD Vance Appears to Backtrack on False Claim About Haitian Migrants in Ohio

On Tuesday, Vance referred to Aiden in a post on social platform X, saying that “a child was murdered by a Haitian migrant.”

Later that day, Aiden’s father, Nathan Clark, lashed out at Vance and others he said were exploiting his son’s death for political gain.

“My son was not murdered. He was accidentally killed by an immigrant from Haiti,” Clark, a teacher, said at a Springfield City Commission meeting.

“This tragedy is felt all over this community, the state and even the nation, but don’t spin this towards hate,” he continued.

Yet, it was not too long into the presidential debate that night before Trump was talking about the town and spreading debunked claims about Haitians. “In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs. The people that came in, they’re eating the cats. They’re eating — they’re eating the pets of the people that live there.”

Politicians Mocking Videos

Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and other Republicans posted mocking videos with kittens that went viral. Elon Musk also joined the social media frenzy.

The Haitians have filled jobs in manufacturing, distribution and other sectors and been welcomed by many employers. But the volume and pace of arrivals has put pressure on housing, health care and schools in the city, which is between Columbus and Dayton and had nearly 60,000 residents in 2020, according to census figures that year.

Estimates of the number of Haitians who have arrived range from 12,000 to 20,000.

“We can’t deny that adding 25 to 30% to our population in a three-year period would overwhelm services,” Rue said.

Gov. Mike DeWine announced this week that the state would provide Springfield with $2.5 million to ease strains on primary health care, and would deploy members of the state highway patrol to improve road safety. The mayor said that he was still hoping to receive federal assistance.

Related Story: Grieving Ohio Father Tells Trump and Vance to Stop Talking About His Son

Among the targets of Thursday’s bomb threat was an elementary school that has a large Haitian student body. Anxiety has enveloped the Haitian community in Springfield this week, said Vilés Dorsainvil, executive director of the Haitian Community Health and Support Center.

Dorsainvil said that he had fielded many calls from families concerned for their children’s safety.

“People started panicking,” he said. “I tried to help them understand that it’s just politics.”

Vance’s campaign weighed in on the tensions on Thursday night. “Sen. Vance condemns these threats and believes that those responsible should be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law,” said Luke Schroeder, a spokesperson for the vice-presidential nominee.

Haiti Has a Humanitarian Crisis

Haiti is engulfed in violence, political upheaval and a humanitarian crisis, which have led tens of thousands of Haitians to move to other countries, including Brazil, Chile and the United States.

“At the end of the day, we are here,” Dorsanivil said. “We have been through a lot and are resilient people.”

On a Haitian WhatsApp chat group, Haitian leaders urged community members to “keep calm, stay informed, stay safe and stay connected.”

“Don’t let tension and fear make you make bad decisions,” said the message in Haitian Creole.

“Do not listen to rumors or unconfirmed information,” it advised them, according to a screenshot provided to the Times that was translated into English.

“I am feeling uncomfortable in this situation. I am asking myself what I should do,” said Jean Frantz, 35, the father of two children.

“They are spreading lies that I can’t believe,” he said. “We work, pay taxes, buy cars and respect the law.”

Rue said his message to the Haitian community was one of sympathy. “I am sorry this is going on in our community and that they have to endure this type of hate,” he said.

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This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

By Miriam Jordan/Maddie McGarvey
c. 2024 The New York Times Company