Trump Vows Deportations From Springfield … Where Migrants Are Living Legally

Donald Trump said he would carry out deportations in Springfield, Ohio, during a press conference on Friday. He also dismissed a question about bomb threats in the town that have followed he and his running mate J.D. Vance's racist smear campaign against immigrants living there.

"I can say this. We will do large deportations from Springfield, Ohio. Large deportations," Trump said. "We're going to get these people out. We're bringing them back to Venezuela."

Springfield, Ohio, has been the epicenter of a racist conspiracy theory alleging that Haitian immigrants are stealing and eating cats, and otherwise wreaking havoc on the town. Local authorities have said that these rumors have no basis in reality, but that has not stopped conservatives from demonizing the immigrants. On Thursday, a bomb threat prompted the closing of City Hall and other local buildings. On Friday, two elementary schools evacuated and one middle school closed after guidance from police.

Most of the Haitian immigrants in Springfield are living there legally. Some have temporary protected status, meaning they have a pending asylum claim, which allows them to live and work in the U.S.

"They emptied their jails in Venezuela, emptied their criminals, emptied the nests," Trump said. "They call them nests of bad people. They're all now in the United States, and they're now taking over cities. It's like an invasion from within. And we're going to have the largest deportation in the history of our country. And we're going to start with Springfield and Aurora."

Trump has also been harping on Aurora, Colorado, where conservatives have claimed Venezuelan gangs have taken over apartment buildings. The mayor and a council member said that the claims were "overstated."

Trump referenced Aurora and Springfield during the presidential debate on Tuesday, as well. "We have millions of people pouring into our country from prisons and jails, from mental institutions and insane asylums," Trump said. "You see what's happening with towns throughout the United States. You look at Springfield, Ohio. You look at Aurora in Colorado. They are taking over the towns. They're taking over buildings. They're going in violently." Trending

Trump also on Friday dismissed a question about bomb threats in Springfield. "No, no, no the real threat is what's happening at our border, because you have thousands of people being killed by illegal migrants coming in," he said.