Two hospitals in Springfield, Ohio went into lockdown on Saturday morning, as bomb threats plagued the town for a third day.
Officials at Kettering Health Springfield and Mercy Health’s Springfield Regional Medical Center placed the two healthcare facilities on lockdown after they became aware of bomb threats made early on Saturday morning, prompting a search of the premises before they could re-open.
Bomb threats shuttered schools and government buildings, including City Hall and DMV offices, on Thursday and Friday, with evacuations and closures disrupting town life.
The threats come amid an onslaught of racist smears against a community of Haitian immigrants in Springfield, promoted by Trump, his running mate JD Vance and other far-right figures. Haitian Americans across the country have warned that the rhetoric is leading to threats of violence against their community, an assertion Trump shook off on Friday.
Representatives for at least one of the hospitals, Kettering, confirmed that they were able to re-open later on Saturday.
The Springfield Police Department issued a statement on Saturday, alerting residents to the continued threats and promising safety as threats against the Haitian community accelerate.
“We recognize that the past few days have been particularly challenging for everyone in our community. Please know that we remain fully committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of each and every person,” the statement read. “We take any and all threats to our community’s safety very seriously and continue to work diligently to address them.”