Springfield mayor confirms Vance campaign staffer was told by city official rumors about Haitian immigrants were ‘baseless’

CNN

By Elizabeth Wolfe and Melissa Alonso, CNN

(CNN) — The mayor of Springfield, Ohio, has confirmed a Wall Street Journal report that the Trump campaign echoed false claims about Haitian immigrants since the September presidential debate – despite the city informing a campaign staffer the day before the rumors were “baseless.”

Mayor Rob Rue confirmed to CNN Thursday night that Springfield city manager Bryan Heck received a call on September 9 from a staffer of vice presidential candidate JD Vance, as the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday. Heck told the Journal the staffer asked if there was any truth in rumors that Haitian immigrants were taking and eating pets.

“He asked point-blank, ‘Are the rumors true of pets being taken and eaten?’” Heck told the Journal. “I told him no. There was no verifiable evidence or reports to show this was true. I told them these claims were baseless.”

When asked about the call on CNN’s “Laura Coates Live” Thursday, Rue said: “Yes, that call was made, the answer was given, and what has happened since then has happened.”

CNN has made repeated attempts to reach Heck for comment.

The day after the city official discredited the rumor, former President Donald Trump parroted the false claim that Haitian immigrants in Springfield are stealing and eating local pets, casting the Midwestern community into an unwelcome national spotlight that has stoked threats of violence against its residents.

Since the September 10 debate, Springfield has received more than 35 threats of violence, including bomb threats, according to the mayor, which has prompted evacuations of elementary schools and supermarkets, lockdowns of hospitals, and a transition to remote learning at several local colleges.

Though the false claims have been widely discredited, Trump and Vance have doubled down.

Asked Sunday by CNN’s Dana Bash to back up his claims, Vance, a US senator from Ohio, said he has received concerns from constituents, though he did not provide evidence.

“My constituents have brought approximately a dozen separate concerns to me. Ten of them are verifiable and confirmable, and a couple of them I talk about because my constituents are telling me firsthand that they’re seeing these things. So I have two options, Dana: I can ignore them, which is what the American media has done for years to this community, or I can actually talk about what people are telling me,” Vance said.

A spokesperson for Vance, in response to CNN’s request for comment on the Journal report, accused the media of “purposely twisting Senator Vance’s words.”

The false claims and ensuing threats have sent Springfield into a state of chaos, with Rue on Thursday issuing a proclamation granting himself temporary emergency powers to obtain and mobilize resources and address potential threats.

“This will enable departments to respond more efficiently to emerging risks, including civil unrest, cyber threats, and potential acts of violence,” the proclamation said.

It comes as members of Springfield’s Haitian community, many of whom are among the estimated 12,000 to 15,000 immigrants living in the city, have expressed fear for their safety.

Haitian immigrant Vilbrun Dorsainvil told CNN that since last week, people who used to walk along the sidewalks in his predominantly Haitian neighborhood are now scared to leave their homes.

As the city has struggled to respond to the slew of threats, Trump said at a campaign rally Wednesday night he would visit Springfield “in the next two weeks.”

But Rue says a visit from either presidential candidate would stretch the city’s resources.

“Should (Trump) choose to change his plans, it would convey a significant message of peace to the city of Springfield,” Rue said. “We’ve asked many times that those with the national spotlight with a national microphone would speak truth. And we need help and not hate.”

Rue lamented that the false claims and frenzied public debate have distracted from deeper conversations about immigration reform.

“It unfortunately takes away from the real argument, which is … the need to look at immigration reform for cities like ours,” Rue told CNN. “That’s what we’re looking for federal legislators to do – to pay attention to what’s going on and how they can best serve their country by looking at immigration and border policies.”

CNN’s Chelsea Bailey, Meridith Edwards and Omar Jimenez contributed to this report.

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