ALABAMA - In recent weeks, the small city of Springfield, Ohio, has been in the center of public attention due to the now debunked claims made by Republican leaders about immigrants eating and stealing pets. For Florida Senator Marco Rubio, the false reports have received more coverage than "real-world" issues revolving immigration.
The Republican Senator from Florida raises his concerns while speaking on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan," arguing that the "cats and dogs thing" has taken the spotlight away from other cases in which high levels of immigration in small cities has unsettled residents.
"There are literally people moving in by thousands in the case of Springfield. Charleroi in Pennsylvania, you know, that's a 4,000-person city that has 2,500 migrants," Rubio said. "In Springfield, you see reports, these are legitimate reports of huge increases in traffic accidents leading to slower police response time, overcrowded schools. I mean the strain this puts on a community, and if you complain about it, somehow you're a bigot, you're a racist, you're a hater," the Florida Senator added.
Rubio went on to argue that residents in towns like Springfield have the right to be upset by the effects than an increase in migrants has had on their communities.
"That is a story here that everyday Americans are being made to feel like they're haters because they're complaining about something all- any of us would complain about," Rubio said.
In Springfield's case, the small Ohio city has seen a huge increase in its migrant population in recent months. According to estimates from a New York Times report, some 20,000 Haitians have arrived to the city under the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program, leaving their home country due to ongoing violence.
As the rumors of migrants eating pets went viral, Springfield City Manager Bryan Heck also raised his concerns on how these false allegations against Haitian immigrants were distracting politicians from the real issues faced by the city.
Earlier this month, in an email to The Hill, Heck said that the issue "clearly takes away" from the fact that Springfield is struggling with housing, resources for schools and with its healthcare system.
Striking back at Republican leaders spreading the false rumors, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine also defended the thousands of Haitian immigrants living in Springfield saying that they "came here to work because there were jobs," and added that if you talk to employers, "they have done a very, very good job and they work very, very hard," DeWine said.
The Ohio governor has also recently announced new state support for Springfield, dedicating $2.5 million to expanding primary care access for Springfield residents, as Haitian migrants have little or no health care services, including vaccinations.
"I want the people of Springfield and Clark County to know that as we move forward, we will continue to do everything we can to help the community deal with this surge of migrants," DeWine said. "The federal government has not demonstrated that they have any kind of plan to deal with the issue. We will not walk away."
The false rumors about Haitian migrants have led to an uptick in bomb threats in local schools. During a Sept. 17 press conference, DeWine said there have been at least 33 bomb threats made in Springfield, but all of them have been determined to be hoaxes.
Last week, students at Perrin Woods and Snowhill Elementary Schools in Springfield were evacuated after bomb threats were reported, while Roosevelt Middle School was closed prior to the beginning of the school day.
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