SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — Former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy is scheduled to host a town hall in Springfield on Thursday evening.
The town hall will be held at Bushnell Events Center starting at 6:30 p.m.
In a post to X on Tuesday, Ramaswamy said they are "inviting diverse voices from the local community, including Haitian immigrants," to attend and participate in the town hall.
"It's sad to see this happening just one hour from where I live, but the first step to reuniting America starts with open dialogue," he wrote on X.
Ramaswamy's visit comes less than two weeks after the city was thrust into the national spotlight after Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump claimed Haitian immigrants in Springfield were eating resident's cats and dogs.
City officials debunked those claims, but Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance, continued to spread false information about Haitian migrants. Officials acknowledge growing pains from the influx of some 15,000 Haitian immigrants but say there's no evidence to support the claim they are consuming anyone's pets.
More than 30 bomb threats have been made against schools, government buildings and city officials' homes since last week, forcing evacuations and closures. Springfield also canceled its annual celebration of diversity, arts and culture in response to the threats, and on Tuesday, state police were deployed to city schools.
On Tuesday, city officials said that misinformation and falsehoods about Haitian immigrants have sowed fear and division, disrupted learning and cost taxpayer dollars. In a statement, they begged public figures, community members and the media to “move beyond divisive rhetoric and instead work toward fostering unity, understanding and respect.” The statement did not mention Trump or Vance by name.
Springfield Mayor Rob Rue has said the immigrant influx is straining police, hospitals and schools. He has also criticized the federal government, saying the city asked for help months ago. But he called on national leaders Tuesday to “temper their words and speak truth.”
