Updated September 19, 2024 at 11:52 AM ET

Many in Springfield, Ohio have felt uneasy for the past week.

A string of bomb threats shut down city and school buildings. Public events have been canceled. And state troopers have been sent in to guard students going to school.

These developments follow former President Donald Trump repeating debunked claims on national TV about Haitian migrants eating pets. Local city and police officials have said there’s no evidence of this happening.

The false claims were originally circulated online by far-right activists, neo-Nazis and some local Republicans, though local police said they were baseless, NPR reported earlier this month. Eventually they were shared on social media by Ohio Sen. JD Vance, Trump’s running mate, and then repeated by the former president on the debate stage.

Members of the Haitian community, many of whom have arrived over the past four years, are concerned about their safety, Viles Dorsainvil, who lives there and leads the Haitian Community Help and Support Center, told Morning Edition.

“We are asking ourselves whether to stay here or go somewhere else,” Dorsainvil said.

Dorsainvil has lived in Springfield for four years. The nonprofit he leads, established less than a year ago, helps Haitian newcomers find housing and jobs. It also helps them with language services and getting public assistance, which some are eligible to receive under the Temporary Protected Status they hold.

This status shields them from...

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