The city of Springfield, Ohio, is stepping up security as viral, false claims about Haitian immigrants stealing and eating pets continue to circulate after being amplified by former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance.
Gov. Mike DeWine announced Monday afternoon he was sending three dozen state troopers to provide added security to schools in the city after a "series of unfounded bomb threats."
"Look, parents are scared, and when parents are scared, we need to react. And I don't blame them," DeWine said in an interview with CBS News.
The Republican governor said in a statement that many of the threats "are coming in from overseas" from people "who want to fuel the current discord surrounding Springfield."
DeWine has pushed back against the false claims about immigrants, saying that he trusts city officials who say they have not received any credible reports of such conduct.
"The internet is the internet. Crazy stuff occurs on the internet. You read crazy stuff all the time. It gets spread. And I think sometimes, you know, that's just what happens. So my job, I think, and the job of the mayor, is to say, 'Look, this is not true,'" DeWine said.
The decision to station state troopers came after two elementary schools in Springfield were evacuated and two local colleges moved their classes online due to the threats. The city also canceled a major cultural festival at the end of the month as a safety precaution.
"If they just backed off their words a...
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