(The Center Square) – Ohio Democrats believe false statements about Haiti immigrants in Springfield created millions of dollars in economic damage and significantly cost taxpayers.
In a letter to Gov. Mike DeWine, three state representatives blame former President Donald Trump and Ohio U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance for school closures, threats of violence, increased security measures, and the cancellation of community events.
All those things, they say, led to increased state taxpayer expense and closure of revenue-generating events.
“The spread of these fabrications led to state and local taxpayer resources being mobilized to address the tensions and the challenges that followed,” House Minority Leader Allison Russo, D-Upper Arlington, Rep. Willis Blackshear, D-Dayton, and Rep. Adam Miller, D-Columbus, wrote in the letter. “Public safety personnel and city officials had to intervene to mitigate the situation, including but not limited to the deployment of additional emergency services and heightened security measures, which diverted attention and funds away from their usual responsibilities. It is concerning that Ohioans will have to bear the financial and social costs of addressing the disruptions caused by these baseless claims.”
Leading up to the presidential debate between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, Vance spent a week saying refugees were stealing and eating the pets of Springfield residents. Trump repeated the false claims during the debate.
Springfield officials, DeWine and other state officials repeatedly debunked the claims, but Trump and Vance continued to promote them.
There were more than 30 bomb threats and threats of other acts of violence in the city, forcing schools, colleges and government offices to close.
DeWine ordered state troopers to post at each public school in Springfield.
“The spread of these fabrications led to state and local taxpayer resources being mobilized to address the tensions and the challenges that followed,” the letter says. “Public safety personnel and city officials had to intervene to mitigate the situation, including but not limited to the deployment of additional emergency services and heightened security measures, which diverted attention and funds away from their usual responsibilities. It is concerning that Ohioans will have to bear the financial and social costs of addressing the disruptions caused by these baseless claims.” the letter reads.
Before Trump and Vance pushed the falsehoods, the state had initiated programs to deal with the Haitian refugee population, which has grown since 2020 to around 15,000 in the city of nearly 60,000 under the Temporary Protected Status program.
The Temporary Protected Status program gives migrants whose home countries are considered unsafe to live and work in the United States.
