STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
People in Springfield, Ohio, canceled their annual cultural festival celebrating unity and diversity.
A MARTĂŤNEZ, HOST:
Yeah. Local officials cited safety concerns. I mean, it's now routine in Springfield to close schools and even a hospital. Ohio Governor Mike DeWine says schools in Springfield have seen at least 33 bomb threats.
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MIKE DEWINE: Thirty-three threats, 33 hoax - I want to make that very, very clear. None of these had any validity at all.
MARTĂŤNEZ: And each of them came after former President Donald Trump and his running mate, JD Vance, began spreading false claims about Haitian migrants there. The governor says he's sending officers from the Ohio State Highway Patrol to monitor schools in the city.
INSKEEP: So let's get a picture of life in Springfield now from Springfield News-Sun reporter Jessica Orozco. Good morning.
JESSICA OROZCO: Good morning.
INSKEEP: Wow. What's it been like in the last day or so?
OROZCO: I mean, things have definitely been different. People are feeling the strain, particularly parents with school-aged children, having to pick up their kids who are being evacuated on a pretty regular basis now. Haitian immigrants are talking about how they're feeling unsafe. Some of them are choosing to keep their kids home from school and just stay home themselves as much as possible to avoid any kind of danger.
INSKEEP: Well, now, the governor seemed to want to put people at ease. I guess that's what the state troopers are for. What else are you hearing from him?
OROZCO: Yeah. So the governor announced that the state is going to provide safety resources to the Springfield schools, which, like we said, have been the target of many bomb threats since last week. He talked about how these have forced evacuations, which have disrupted class time and stoked fears. And so he's directed the state highway patrol to have 36 members of its field force to spread out across school buildings to sweep for threats before and after the school day and to stick around during the day.
INSKEEP: Are people reassured?
OROZCO: For the most part, I would say yes, but there's, you know, still lingering anxieties.
INSKEEP: What are you hearing from the Haitian community specifically - the people who were misdescribed in this online rumor and by the candidates?
OROZCO: Yeah. A lot of Haitian immigrants in Springfield are upset to be painted with such a broad brush and to have completely unsubstantiated rumors spread about them. And Haitian immigrants have been the subject of public discourse in Springfield for more than a year now, but tensions are now especially high.
INSKEEP: Can you tell me a little bit more about that community? I gather that they are people with what's called temporary protected status - so they have legal status in the United States. They've been described as consuming all the resources of Springfield. Are these people who've come and are paying rent and working jobs and doing that sort of thing?
OROZCO: Yeah. From what we're hearing, the vast majority of Haitians in Springfield have that temporary protected status, meaning they can stay in Springfield or in the country for a designated period of time, and they're getting work permits so that they can work. And they're paying rent. They're paying taxes. They're positively influencing businesses with their money.
INSKEEP: Do they also require some extra resources, some help?
OROZCO: Yes. Yes, they do. There's a large need for translation and interpretation services, which is particularly highlighted in schools and hospitals and medical centers. Some are receiving different forms of federal assistance. And there's a definite need for driving education.
INSKEEP: Driving education - meaning people have arrived, and they don't have driver's licenses.
OROZCO: Yes. Yes, that's right. And that's led to some concerns, including car accidents.
INSKEEP: Springfield News-Sun reporter Jessica Orozco - thanks so much.
OROZCO: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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