Bomb threat rattles US city in Republican anti-migrant conspiracy

A government building and school were evacuated after an alleged bomb threat Thursday in Springfield, Ohio, local media reported, rattling the small city at the heart of an anti-migrant conspiracy theory amplified by Donald Trump.

Springfield has been thrust into the spotlight in recent days after an unfounded story of Haitian migrants eating pets went viral on social media, with the Republican ex-president and current White House candidate pushing the narrative despite it being debunked.

Democrats have accused Trump and his running mate, Ohio Senator J.D. Vance, of fanning racial tensions as they use the Springfield conspiracy theory to elevate immigration as a campaign issue ahead of November's election.

Despite local officials saying they had received no credible reports of pets being stolen and eaten, Trump repeated the claim during his debate Tuesday against Vice President Kamala Harris.

"Due to a bomb threat that was issued to multiple facilities throughout Springfield today, City Hall is closed today," a post on the municipal government's Facebook page said.

"City officials were alerted to this threat via an email message this morning at 8:24 am. The email was sent to multiple agencies and media outlets," it added.

Fulton Elementary School was also evacuated Thursday, though it was not immediately clear if it was related to the same bomb threat.

Arriving at the school to retrieve his child, Haitian immigrant Mackenso Roseme told AFP that the current tensions in the community were "worrying."

"I'm a little stressed. I think something might happen," he said.

A sign in English, Spanish and Haitian Creole informed Roseme and other parents that the students had been moved to a high school.

The bomb threat came from someone claiming to be from Springfield and mentioned Haitian immigration issues, the local Springfield News-Sun newspaper reported Mayor Rob Rue as saying.

Despite the bomb threats, Trump was still reposting memes related to the conspiracy theory hours later on his Truth Social platform.

He claimed Ohio was being "inundated with Illegal Migrants, mostly from Haiti, who are taking over Towns and Villages at a level and rate never seen before."

The White House had warned on Tuesday that such rhetoric could lead to real-life dangers in the community.

"This kind of disinformation is dangerous because there will be people that believe it, no matter how ludicrous and stupid it is, and they might act on that kind of information and act on it in a way where somebody could get hurt," National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters.

Springfield, with a population of about 58,000, has seen an increase in Haitian immigrants in recent years -- 10,000 to 15,000 according to the Springfield News-Sun.

Social services, schools and housing have been stressed in the city for years, with some pointing to migration as a factor.