Donald Trump has said he will mass deport migrants in a small Ohio town that has been rocked by baseless claims that its Haitian influx are eating pets and park animals.
“We’re going to start with Springfield,” Trump said on Friday, adding the town had been “destroyed” by immigration. He mentioned a second city in Colorado, which right-wing commentators have falsely claimed is in the hands of a Venezuelan gang.
Springfield officials say that the debunked claim of pet-eating has sent shockwaves through its community, and has led to violent threats that have shut schools.
President Joe Biden appealed for calm on Friday, calling criticism of Haitians in Springfield “simply wrong”.
“This has to stop, what he’s doing. It has to stop,” Mr Biden said of Trump’s statements.
The Republican candidate’s promise comes after nearly a week of false claims about migrants killing pets and children in Springfield.
The claims of animal eating, which Trump repeated in his debate with Kamala Harris on Tuesday, has been debunked by Springfield’s police chief and mayor, as well as Ohio Governor Mike DeWine.
On Friday, three schools in Springfield were evacuated due to bomb threats. At least one of the threats made disparaging comments about Haitians, according to Springfield Mayor Bob Rue.
It comes after city hall and several other buildings, as well as one school, were evacuated on Thursday due to threats.
Trump was asked whether he was considering a visit to the town during a press conference at his golf course in Los Angeles on Friday.
“I can say this, we will do large deportations from Springfield, Ohio – large deportations. We’re going to get these people out. We’re bringing them back to Venezuela,” he said.
The migrants in Springfield are mostly from Haiti, and have legal permission to be in the US under a federal programme for Haitians.
It was not immediately clear why Trump mentioned Venezuela. Although throughout his remarks he made references to an influx of Venezuelan migrants to Aurora, Colorado, and said deportations would also begin there if he won the presidential election in November.
On Friday, Ohio Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted posted a photo online of two migratory Canadian geese. “Most Americans agree that these migrants should be deported,” he said.