ATTACKS ON HAITIANS
Clark County Ohio has a population of 135,000 of which 58,000 live in its county seat of Springfield. It has added around 15,000 Haitians immigrants in the last 8 years. Some have green cards or are US citizens. Others have arrived under a special status called TPS (Temporary Protected Status) reserved for people from countries in crisis, i.e. natural disasters, political upheavals or war. (Ukrainians have also arrived in the US under this status.) TPS allows Haitians to work and receive benefits such as Medicaid and food stamps.
Haitians were attracted to Springfield by the availability of jobs and affordable housing. The governor of Ohio has written “…Springfield is having a resurgence in manufacturing jobs and job creation. Some of that is thanks to the dramatic influx of Haitian migrants who have arrived in the city over the past few years to fill jobs.”
Springfield has been in the news recently because of unsubstantiated claims by Trump and J.D. Vance that Haitians are eating pet cats and dogs in Springfield. This has led to bomb threats (all hoaxes) that have closed 2 schools, put the local hospital on lockdown, and closed City Hall. Naturally the Haitian community in Springfield feels threatened.
Irresponsible attacks on migrants are shameful. The truth is the US needs more migrants not less. They do not destroy communities; they revitalize them.
Sources: The New York Times, 9/14/24, updated 9/18/24, and 9/20/24; Springfield News-Sun, 9/20/24