Springfield Mayor Claims Emergency Powers to ‘Mitigate Public Safety Concerns’ as Threats Continue to Evolve in City
CNN
—
The mayor of Springfield, Ohio, issued a proclamation Thursday claiming temporary emergency powers “to alleviate public safety concerns” as false claims about Haitian immigrants continue to fuel bomb threats and the specter of violence in the community.
The proclamation grants Mayor Rob Rue temporary emergency powers to obtain and mobilize resources and address potential threats.
“This will enable departments to respond more effectively to emerging risks, including civil unrest, cyber threats, and potential acts of violence,” the proclamation said.
Former President Donald Trump’s false claims that Haitian immigrants steal and eat local pets have cast a shadow over this small Midwestern town. Local officials say they received more than 30 threats of violence in the days following the second presidential debate.
Springfield police did not respond to CNN’s request for further information regarding the threats.
A Walmart spokesperson confirmed to CNN that two of its Springfield stores were “briefly evacuated” Wednesday “at the direction of local police.” Additionally, the Pregnancy Resource Center of Clark County, a local Kroger supermarket and a Planned Parenthood center also received threats Wednesday, CNN affiliate WHIO reported.
In response to the threats, several area middle schools moved to remote learning this week, after students returned to school Tuesday with added security from state police, including tower cameras and bomb-detecting dogs.
Andy Wilson, director of the Ohio Department of Public Safety, said at a news conference Thursday: “Every day we receive multiple bomb threats.” He also confirmed that authorities had investigated a bomb threat on the campus of Clark State College earlier in the day, but stressed that it was a “hoax.”
“In the current environment, people are going to do stupid things,” Wilson said. “If you think you can provoke outrage in someone by doing something like this – by making a bomb threat – if you get caught, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
Carl Ruby, pastor of Springfield’s Central Christian Church, told CNN’s Jim Acosta that since the debate, “it’s been complete chaos.” Ruby said he spoke with local officials Thursday who told him that new threats are “happening as we speak.”
“I want to let President Trump know that I prayed for his safety this morning – he doesn’t have my vote but he has my prayers – and I just want him to acknowledge, out of the goodness of his heart, that he was misinformed and ask the groups that are here for hateful reasons to leave our city,” he said.
Ruby said that while he agrees with President Biden’s stance on immigration and refugees because it aligns with his Christian faith, the Biden administration could do more to help cities like Springfield that have seen an influx of immigrants in recent years.
“I think one of the clearest ethical issues in the Bible is that we need to take care of immigrants, orphans and widows, and so I’m all for that. But their policy hasn’t provided any money and we need… I talked to city leaders this morning and we need $5 million to $10 million right now,” Ruby said.
Trump and his running mate, J.D. Vance, show no signs of backing down from their false claims about Springfield. At a campaign rally Wednesday night, Trump promised to visit the city “in the next couple of weeks” and criticized Rue for failing to deport the migrants.
Rue told reporters at Thursday’s news conference that it would be difficult for either candidate to visit his city.
“If (Trump) chooses to change his plans, it would send an important message of peace to the city of Springfield,” Rue said. “We have repeatedly asked that those in the national spotlight and with a national microphone speak the truth. And we need help, not hate.”
On its website, the city of Springfield estimates that about 12,000 to 15,000 immigrants live in the city and surrounding Clark County. The city has also refuted claims that Haitian immigrants are “illegal.”
“Haitian immigrants are here legally, under the Immigration Parole Program,” the city said, referring to a program launched by the Biden administration in 2023 to create more legal pathways to enter the United States.
To be eligible, participants are screened and must have an in-country sponsor. More than 210,000 Haitians have been admitted to the United States through the program, according to data released this week by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
CNN’s Catherine Shoichet, Dana Bash and Chris Boyette contributed to this report.
