The Rockwellesque city of Springfield, Ohio, has recently been thrust into the national spotlight, not for its charm but because of false claims spread on social media that Haitian immigrants have been stealing and eating the pets of their neighbors. Despite a lack of evidence, former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Senator J.D. Vance, have used the claims to stoke fear among the community and the nation.

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine recently wrote a commentary (The New York Times, Sept. 20) that confronts the damaging and unfounded claims about Springfield, a city located about 10 miles from where he grew up. He urged a return to facts and respect, reminding us that leadership is about lifting people up—not tearing them down for political gain​. In part, it reads:

“Bomb threats — all hoaxes — continue and temporarily closed at least two schools, put the hospital on lockdown and shuttered City Hall. The two local colleges have gone remote. I have posted Ohio Highway Patrol troopers in each school building in Springfield so the schools can remain open, teachers and children can feel safe, and students can continue to learn. On the troopers’ first day in the schools, Fran and I visited Simon Kenton Elementary, where reassured teachers told us: ‘Yesterday was rough. Today was a good day.’

“As a supporter of former President Donald Trump and Senator JD Vance, I am saddened by how they and others continue to repeat claims that lack evidence and disparage the legal migrants living in Springfield. This rhetoric hurts the city and its people, and it hurts those who have spent their lives there.

“The Biden administration’s failure to control the southern border is a very important issue that Mr. Trump and Mr. Vance are talking about and one that the American people are rightfully deeply concerned about. But their verbal attacks against these Haitians — who are legally present in the United States — dilute and cloud what should be a winning argument about the border.

“The Springfield I know is not the one you hear about in social media rumors. It is a city made up of good, decent, welcoming people. They are hard workers — both those who were born in this country and those who settled here because, back in their birthplace, Haiti, innocent people can be killed just for cheering on the wrong team in a soccer match.

“The people who live there love their families, value education, work hard, care about one another, and tackle the challenges they face head-on, just as they have done for over 200 years.

“I am proud of this community, and America should be, too.”

The nation is facing a challenge against integrity, honesty, and leadership—values that should guide our actions, but often get lost amid political rhetoric.

The nation is facing a choice between facts or fear; which will you choose?