Local authorities estimate that the noncitizen population in Springfield now numbers between 12,000 and 15,000. However, in a recent letter to Ohio’s two U.S. senators, the city manager suggested that the Haitian population alone may be as high as 20,000. According to city officials, these Haitian nationals are in Springfield under the Biden administration’s Immigration Parole Program, which has been used to bring noncitizens from countries such as Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela into the U.S. Officials also say they were not informed by the federal government or non-governmental organizations (NGOs) about plans to relocate large numbers of Haitian nationals to Springfield. “I’m upset at the fact we didn’t get a chance to have an infrastructure in place if there were going to be 20,000 more people from 2020 to 2025. We didn’t get to do that,” Springfield Mayor Rob Rue said during a recent city commission meeting. “Springfield is now saturated.” Rue said if city officials had known in advance, they would have hired additional police officers and firefighters and worked to prevent local residents from being displaced due to rising housing costs stemming from the population surge. Haitians living in the U.S. are eligible to apply for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) under a directive from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). TPS offers work permits and protection from deportation to individuals from designated countries where returning would be unsafe due to conditions such as armed conflict or environmental disasters. Haiti, a Caribbean nation that has been devastated by hurricanes and is currently grappling with gang violence, is among the countries eligible for TPS. The nation’s struggling infrastructure and limited resources have left many Haitians seeking refuge abroad. However, the rapid influx of Haitian nationals into Springfield has led to tensions with local residents. During a recent city commission meeting, some Springfield residents accused Haitian migrants of engaging in disturbing practices, such as killing and eating local pets and wildlife. Some reported that Haitians are killing and eating the locals’ dogs, cats, and geese — stringing them up and leaving them hanging as if they’re at a butcher shop. One man told city officials that Haitians were capturing and decapitating ducks in local parks. Another resident, identified only as Noel, told officials that she feels unsafe due to the influx of migrants near her property. “I have made concessions with them, and I try to help them the best I can to keep them from trying to squat on my property, but it is so unsafe. I have men that cannot speak English in my front yard, screaming at me, throwing mattresses in my front yard, throwing trash in my front yard,” she explained. “Look at me, I weigh 95 pounds. I couldn't defend myself if I had to,” she added, while telling the city council that her husband told her that it is now time to consider moving. “I understand they're here under temporary protected status and you're protecting them. And I understand that our city services are overwhelmed and understaffed, but who's protecting us?” she asked. “If we're protecting them, who's protecting me? I want out of this town. I am sorry. Please give me a reason to stay.”Residents of Springfield, Ohio, are expressing growing frustration over an influx of Haitian nationals into their small city of approximately 60,000 people.
Absolutely HEARTBREAKING moment Springfield, Ohio, resident tells mayor that she "can't take it anymore" as Haitian migrants squat on her lawn, litter in her yard and harass her and elderly husband daily.
The mayor of Springfield does NOT want people to see this: pic.twitter.com/OJtAy7LSXX
— captive dreamer (@captivedreamer7) September 7, 2024
Last summer, tensions between Springfield residents and the Haitian community escalated after a Haitian driver caused a fatal crash with a school bus, killing an 11-year-old boy.
The county health commissioner warned that this incident could be the “match on a tinder bundle” as frustrations in the community continued to rise.
