The Springfield City School District in Ohio closed one middle school and evacuated two elementary schools Friday as the city grapples with the fallout of unfounded conspiracy theories about immigrants that have been amplified by former President Trump and his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance (R).
Elementary school students were evacuated from their buildings and moved to a different location after receiving direction from the Springfield Police Division. Students are being released to their parents, the Springfield News-Sun reported.
Roosevelt Middle School was closed before the school day began in relation to information the school district received from law enforcement, the outlet said.
It’s not clear if the school evacuations were linked to a bomb threat Thursday against the Springfield City Hall, but explosive-detecting K-9 helped police clear areas Thursday, Springfield Police Chief Allison Elliott said, according to ABC News.
On Thursday, City Hall was evacuated after a bomb threat was issued to “multiple facilities” in the area. Two elementary schools were also listed in the threat.
It was later revealed the bomb threat used hateful language against the city’s immigrant population.
The threats come just days after Trump took the stage in Philadelphia at presidential debate and gave voice to conspiracy theories that migrants, particularly Haitian migrants in Springfield, were eating people’s cats and dogs.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) and Springfield Mayor Rob Rue, as well as other local authorities, have brushed off Trump’s remarks and said pets were safe in Springfield.
DeWine said the internet can be “quite crazy sometimes.” He said migrants are choosing Springfield because of its job opportunities and said employers say they have “done a very, very good job, and they work very, very hard.”
Rue said Trump’s amplification of the false claims created a “negative light” for the city. He admitted that Springfield is experiencing an “infrastructure strain” due to the increased immigration population and is seeing a “culture clash” as the false narratives about migrants continue to spread within communities and by the Republican presidential nominee.
DeWine announced Thursday that the state would send health care and public safety support to Clark County, which houses Springfield. He criticized the lack of federal help but said Ohio will “not walk away” from the migrant influx in the area and the needs of the community.
Trump doubled down on his attacks on Haitians Thursday during a campaign stop in Arizona.
“There’s a place called Springfield, Ohio, that you’ve been reading about. Twenty-thousand illegal Haitian immigrants have descended upon the town of 58,000 people, destroying their entire way of life. This was a beautiful community and now it’s horrible what’s happened,” he said.
