Springfield’s mayor claims emergency powers to ‘mitigate public safety concerns’ as threats continue to swarm city

(CNN) — The mayor of Springfield, Ohio, issued a proclamation Thursday claiming temporary emergency powers “to mitigate public safety concerns” as false claims about Haitian immigrants continue to stoke bomb threats and the specter of violence in the community.

The proclamation grants Mayor Rob Rue 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.

Former President Donald Trump’s false claims that Haitian immigrants are stealing and eating local pets have cast a pall over this small Midwestern city. Local officials say they have received more than 30 threats of violence in the days since the second presidential debate.

Springfield police have not responded to CNN’s request for more information regarding the threats.

A spokesperson for Walmart confirmed to CNN that two of its Springfield locations were “briefly evacuated” Wednesday “at the direction of local police.” Additionally, the Pregnancy Resource Center of Clark County, a local Kroger supermarket and a Planned Parenthood center also received threats Wednesday, CNN affiliate WHIO reported.

In response to the threats, several colleges in the area have transitioned to remote learning this week, after students returned to school Tuesday with additional security from state troopers, including tower cameras and bomb detection dogs.

Andy Wilson, Ohio’s director of the Department of Public Safety, said in a news conference Thursday: “Every day we are getting multiple bomb threats.” He also confirmed authorities had investigated a bomb threat on the campus of Clark State College earlier that day, but stressed it was a “hoax

“In the environment that we have, people are going to do stupid things,” Wilson said. “If you think you can get a rise out of somebody by doing something like that – calling a bomb threat in – if you get caught you are going to be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”

Carl Ruby, pastor of Central Christian Church in Springfield, told CNN’s Jim Acosta since the debate “it’s just been complete chaos.” Ruby said he spoke with local officials Thursday who told him more threats “are unfolding right now.”

“I want to let President Trump know that I prayed for his safety this morning – he does not have my vote but he has my prayers – and I just wish that he would, out of the goodness of his heart, just acknowledge that he was misinformed and ask the groups that are here for hateful reasons to leave our city,” he said.

Ruby said while he agrees with President Biden’s stance on immigration and refugees because it aligns with his Christian faith, there’s more the Biden administration can do to help cities like Springfield that have seen an influx of immigrants in recent years.

“I believe that one of the clearest ethical issues in the Bible is that we are to care for immigrants, orphans, and widows and so I’m all for that. But their policy did not provide money and we need … I talked to city leaders this morning and we need $5-10 million like right now,” Ruby said.

Trump and his running mate, JD Vance, show no signs of backing down from their false claims about Springfield. At a campaign rally Wednesday night, Trump promised to visit the city “in the next two weeks” and criticized Rue for not expelling migrants.

Rue told reporters at Thursday’s news conference it would be difficult for either candidate to visit his city.

“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.”

On its website, the city of Springfield estimates approximately 12,000 –15,000 immigrants live in the city and the surrounding Clark County. The city also pushed back on claims that Haitian immigrants are “illegal.”

“Haitian immigrants are here legally, under the Immigration Parole Program,” the city states, referencing a program the Biden administration launched in 2023 to create more lawful pathways into the United States.

To qualify, participants are vetted and must have a sponsor in the country. More than 210,000 Haitians have been paroled into the US through the program, according to data released this week by US Customs and Border Protection.

CNN’s Catherine Shoichet, Dana Bash and Chris Boyette contributed to this report.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2024 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.