Bomb Threats Targeting Haitians Close Schools, County Offices In Ohio
Several schools and government offices were closed in Ohio on Monday after someone emailed bomb threats targeting the Haitian community.
According to ABC News, Springfield Mayor Rob Rue said several schools and county offices received emails detailing potential pipe bomb threats around 7:45 a.m. on Monday. Duffel bags were also found at Clark County Municipal Court and Public Safety Building in Springfield. The police investigated the duffel bags and found they had no pipe bombs, with Springfield Police Division Chief Allison Elliott saying there were “no substantiated threats to the community,” in a statement.
“I want to be clear, there is no immediate or credible threat to the public at this time,” Rue said in a statement. “These matters are being taken seriously and addressed with the highest level of caution and professionalism.”
“These are threats that also referenced Haitians,” Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said during a press briefing on Monday. “The whole essence of the threats were the Haitians should be out, get rid of the Haitians.”
As a result of the bomb threats, several public schools were closed on Monday out of an abundance of caution. “This is a despicable act,” DeWine said. “It’s caused kids to miss a whole day of school today.” DeWine added that several other counties received emails with “similar rhetoric,” but it’s still unclear if they were sent from the same person. The FBI released a statement announcing they’re investigating the matter.
“While we have no information to indicate a credible threat, we are currently working with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to gather, share, and act upon threat information as soon as it comes to our attention,” the FBI Cincinnati said in a statement.
Sadly, this is not the first time bomb threats targeting Haitians have been called into Springfield. One of the most memorable and unhinged moments of the 2024 election came during the first and only debate between President Donald Trump and former Vice President Kamala Harris, where Trump said Haitian immigrants were stealing and eating pets.
Ya know, if America were full of people in their right mind, that would’ve been the moment that ended Trump’s campaign. I mean, hell, an errant “Byah!” killed Howard Dean’s whole run in ‘04. Instead, people took Trump’s claims seriously despite there being no evidence that Haitian immigrants were eating pets. Bomb threats were called into Springfield colleges and hospitals shortly after the debate, with anti-Haitian sentiment also being at the center of those threats.
The bomb threats come shortly after a judge blocked the Trump administration from ending Temporary Protected Status for hundreds of thousands of Haitian immigrants. Should they have lost their protected status, ICE would’ve immediately made a concerted effort to detain and deport the immigrants in Springfield whose only crime is working regular jobs and putting food on the table for their families.
The Trump administration’s continued attempts to end the Temporary Protected Status for Haitian immigrants, along with these bomb threats, further expose the truth of MAGA’s immigration crusade. It’s not about targeting people who are here illegally, or even the worst kinds of criminals; it’s simply about making life harder and more dangerous for anyone who’s not white in America, regardless of their legal status.
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