Ohio GOP Gov.: Trump's false attacks on Springfield harm campaign's border argument.

• Ohio Governor Mike DeWine stated that the unfounded claims made by former President Donald Trump and his running mate JD Vance about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio weaken the Republican Party's border message.
• In the New York Times, DeWine, a Republican, wrote that their verbal attacks against Haitians who are legally present in the United States cloud what should be a winning argument about the border.
• Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio were falsely accused of stealing and eating pets by Trump and Vance, who is a senator representing Ohio.

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine wrote in an op-ed published Friday that the unfounded claims about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio by former President Donald Trump and his running mate JD Vance weaken the Republican Party's border message.

DeWine, a Republican, wrote in the New York Times that the failure of the Biden administration to control the southern border is a crucial issue that Trump and Vance are discussing and one that deeply concerns the American people.

He stated that their verbal attacks against Haitians, who are legally present in the United States, weaken and obscure the strength of the argument regarding the border.

The belief that President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have not been successful in stopping the flow of asylum seekers at the southern border has been a crucial argument for Republicans in various elections, including Trump's re-election campaign.

Springfield, Ohio was put in the national spotlight due to Trump's latest immigration claims, which involved unfounded rumors that Haitian immigrants were stealing and eating city residents' pets, with Vance, Ohio's senator, supporting these claims.

DeWine and local officials have repeatedly denied the claims.

DeWine, a native of Springfield, expressed his disappointment with the repeated claims made by former President Donald Trump and Senator JD Vance, which lack evidence and denigrate the legal migrants residing in Springfield, in a letter written on Friday.

"The rhetoric harms the city and its residents, as well as those who have devoted their lives to it."

Since Trump and Vance spread unfounded rumors, which the Trump campaign knew were false, dozens of bomb threats have led to Springfield city schools being evacuated and closed.

On Monday, DeWine announced that Ohio state police would begin conducting sweeps of city schools every morning and night. Despite officials discovering that all the threats were hoaxes, they have also targeted city government buildings and a local hospital.

Vance's spokesperson, William Martin, stated to NBC News that the Republican vice-presidential nominee is pleased that DeWine supports the Trump-Vance campaign, but Vance and DeWine may not always have the same stance on every issue.

In his op-ed, DeWine highlighted the contribution of Haitian immigrants in revitalizing Springfield's economy during its economic downturn in the 1980s and 90s.

"Despite the decline in manufacturing and job creation in Springfield, the city is experiencing a resurgence due to the arrival of Haitian migrants over the past three years."

"They are there legally. They are there to work."