‘Your pets are safe;’ Mayor upset unverified claims have cast negative light on Springfield

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Mayor Rob Rue is upset with national leaders who have put the city in a negative national light by repeating unverified claims of immigrants killing and eating animals.

Rue has been dealing with the crisis created by the Haitian immigration surge for years as a city commissioner and now as mayor. He’s listened to a lot of frustration from residents and some increasingly dangerous rhetoric, but he didn’t expect what he says are false claims to be repeated on a national level.

“What we need is help, not hate,” Rue said on Friday.

As reported on News Center 7 at 5:00, the city has seen a surge of 15,000 Haitian immigrants come into Springfield in the last three years. The problem appears to be that the temporary refugee status approved for Haitians by the administration did not include congressional approval, which meant no federal dollars have been sent to help the city.

“Has it caused a strain on our infrastructure? Absolutely. Has it overwhelmed our health care system? Yes. Overwhelmed our school system, yes, and also our safety forces,” Rue said.

That’s why Springfield is looking for help, specifically in translation services.

Rue is upset with the current administration and upset with Republican candidates Donald Trump and JD Vance for repeated unverified claims that immigrants have targeted cats, dogs, and geese.

“I would tell you, yes Springfield is a beautiful place, I would have said that,” Rue said. “But I never would have had the thought that I would tell you that your pets are safe in Springfield, which they absolutely are.”

Rue said the city is in a negative spotlight it doesn’t deserve and many Haitians feel the same.

News Center 7 tried to talk to many members of the community on Friday. Most told us they only speak French and Creole, but those with English skills also avoided our team, seemingly nervous about negative attention.

Rue insists everyone’s attention should be on making things better for long-time residents and new arrivals.

“We have folks here that we need to be able to communicate with so we need help for our translation offices,” he said.

He also called the recent string of bomb threats at city buildings and schools “very disturbing” and upsetting for the community.

“It’s just difficult to hear and it’s across the board. There have just been so many threats that we just need them to stop,” he said.

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