The small all-American town of Springfield, Ohio is at risk of being lost. Residents didn’t expect to be thrown into the middle of one of our most consequential elections. Nor did this town of 58,000 residents expect to be overrun with as many as 20,000 Haitian immigrants within just a couple years. Long time residents feel like foreigners in their own home. The administration allowed over 300,000 Haitians in.
Too many immigrants
The people of Springfield never asked for this and voted overwhelmingly for Trump both times. Citizens are now eager to tell their stories.
One lifelong resident was willing to speak but not be identified. “You walk into a store and you feel like your language isn’t the predominant language. It’s kind of weird. If you’re willing to go to a new place you need to invest your efforts into learning that and becoming acclimated and accustomed to it as well.”
He doesn’t feel safe with the immigrants
“There’s no section of this town that I feel safe in. I don’t even like my wife to shop here. We try to go grocery shopping in other cities.” Crime wasn’t a problem. Now it is. “In the 10 years in this neighborhood, it’s very nice, we never had any break-ins, nothing like that. Just a couple weeks ago we had our first break-in.”
What the screen tells you is not what he sees. “They say our police force is staffed. It’s not. They’re tied up on traffic calls and they’re trying to translate to people that don’t know English.” He’s hoping they’ll be leaving town soon. Otherwise he’ll have to consider leaving.
Immigrants stretching the system thin
“I would like to see the election go in favor of Donald Trump this year, and I would like to see deportations.” Haitians are on the road enough to have caused fatal accidents. An 11-year-old and a 71-year-old were recently killed in accidents involving immigrants.
Stores are locking things up, even children’s toys. “You see that stuff and it’s just like, what has my town become? It was just a good place to raise your family. I kind of want out.” FBI statistics do indeed show an increase in crime here since 2020.
