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Former President Donald Trump said he plans to visit Springfield, Ohio after he spread false claims about Haitian migrants eating and abducting pets.
On Wednesday (September 18), Trump appeared at a rally in New York, where he told the crowd he plans to visit Springfield within the next two weeks, per HuffPost. The Republican nominee cited the city as an example of immigration "destroying" the country after he and his running mate, JD Vance, repeatedly touted lies about Haitians eating their neighbors' dogs and cats.
“They had 32,000, this is a little beautiful town, no crime, no problem, 32,000 illegal immigrants come into the town,” Trump said Wednesday. “So they almost double their population in a period of a few weeks, can you believe it?”
It is estimated that 12,000 to 15,000 Haitians have legally migrated to Springfield under Temporary Protected Status (TPS), which allows foreign nationals facing serious disasters or political turmoil in their home country to remain in the U.S. The Biden administration extended TPS status for Haitians in June.
Trump shared his plans to visit Springfield on Wednesday.
“You know what, they’ve gotta get much tougher, I’m gonna go there in the next two weeks,” he declared. “You may never see me again but that’s OK. I gotta do what I gotta do.”
During another rally in North Carolina on Wednesday, Vance also doubled down on the false narrative surrounding Springfield, falsely accusing legal migrants of being "illegal aliens."
Springfield Mayor Rob Rue, the city's manager, and police have all shut down the notion that migrants are putting pets in danger. Earlier this week, Rue said he would be "fine" if Trump decided to not visit the city, noting that his claims have placed a burden on Springfield's resources.
“Springfield is a community that needs help,” Rue said in a statement, adding that political leaders should not “hurt a community like, unfortunately, we have seen over the last couple of days.”
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