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topicnews · September 20, 2024

Donald Trump says he’s going to Springfield, Ohio

Donald Trump says he’s going to Springfield, Ohio

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Former President Donald Trump told a crowd Wednesday night that he would come to Springfield in the coming weeks as the city continues to be in the national spotlight over immigration.

“I’m going there in the next two weeks. I’m going to Springfield,” Trump told a crowd in Uniondale, NY.

More: “We need help, not hate”: Springfield at the center of the national immigration debate

Trump made unsubstantiated claims last week during his debate with Vice President Kamala Harris that Haitian immigrants living in Springfield eat dogs, cats and geese. Since then, the city has had to deal with bomb threats against schools, businesses and other locations following Trump’s comments.

Governor Mike DeWine said the more than 30 bomb threats the city has received so far have turned out to be hoaxes from abroad. On Monday, DeWine said the Ohio State Highway Patrol would conduct bomb searches in Springfield’s schools as a precautionary measure.

Springfield has seen an increase in the number of legal Haitian immigrants in recent years, as many flee Haiti and work in factories and warehouses in Springfield. City officials have said that about 15,000 to 20,000 immigrants have arrived over the course of several years.

In his speech on Wednesday, Trump falsely increased the number of immigrants and shortened the time frame.

“32,000 … illegal immigrants came into the city, 32. So the population has almost doubled in a matter of weeks,” Trump said.

Republican Senator JD Vance of Ohio, who is running alongside Trump, has repeatedly said his office has received calls from Springfield residents saying their pets have been taken away, but he has not provided any evidence of this.

On Tuesday, Springfield Mayor Rob Rue said it would be “very, very difficult” for the city to host either presidential candidate because of limited resources.

“So I would be fine if they decided not to stop this now,” Rue said.

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