Springfield Mayor Rob Rue said a visit from former President Trump would be “an extreme strain” on the city in the wake of unfounded claims made by the former president and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), regarding Haitian immigrants eating residents’ pets.
“It would be an extreme strain on our resources. So, it’d be fine with me if they decided not to make that visit,” the Republican mayor said Tuesday during a news conference at City Hall, NBC News reported.
The mayor’s comments come after former President Trump falsely claimed that Haitian immigrants in Springfield were eating pets during the presidential debate between himself and Vice President Harris a week ago. Trump’s comments on the debate stage came after Vance made a now-debunked post about it on the social platform X.
At the debate, ABC News moderator David Muir said there was no evidence that Trump’s claims were true and that they had “checked with the city manager.”
Officials in Springfield have also said the claims are unfounded. City Manager Bryan Heck told The Hill the false controversy “takes away” from the city’s real struggles in onboarding immigrants to social services.
Since the false claims, The Associated Press (AP) reported that the city has experienced more than 30 bomb threats. State police were also deployed to schools, per the AP.
Roughly 15,000 Haitian immigrants have arrived in Springfield, a town of about 60,000 people, in recent years, according to The Associated Press.
The Hill has reached out to the Trump campaign for comment.
