SPRINGFIELD, Ohio (AP) — Many cities have been transformed by immigrants in recent years without attracting much attention. Not so in Springfield, Ohio.
The story of economic recovery and its accompanying growing pains was thrust into the national conversation in a presidential election year – and maliciously distorted by false rumors that Haitian immigrants were eating their neighbors’ pets. Donald Trump amplified those lies during Tuesday’s nationally televised debate, heightening some residents’ fears of a growing divide in the predominantly white, working-class city of about 60,000.
Rose-Thamar Joseph said Wednesday at the city’s Haitian Community Help and Support Center that many of the roughly 15,000 immigrants who have come to the city in recent years were attracted by the good jobs and relatively affordable cost of living. But there is a growing unease as long-time residents grow increasingly annoyed that newcomers are taking factory jobs, driving up housing costs, worsening traffic and straining city services.
“Some of them talk about living in fear. Some of them are afraid for their lives. It’s hard for us,” Joseph said.
A sign reading “Welcome to our city” hangs from a parking garage downtown, where a cafe, bakery and boutique line the main drag, North Fountain Street. A flag flies from a nearby pole advertising “CultureFest,” which the city describes as an annual celebration of unity through diversity.
Melanie Flax Wilt, a Republican county commissioner in the district that includes Springfield, said she urged local and political leaders to “stop stoking fear.”
“If after the election no one uses Springfield, Ohio, as a talking point for immigration reform, we will be the ones still living through the challenges and finding solutions,” she said.
Ariel Dominique, executive director of the Haitian American Foundation for Democracy, said she has sometimes laughed at the absurdity of the false claims in recent days, but it has been painful to see the former president’s comments repeated on national television.
“It’s so unfair and unjust and completely contrary to what we have given to the world, what we have contributed to this nation for so long,” Dominique said.
The falsehoods about Haitian immigrants in Springfield were spread online by Trump’s running mate JD Vance on the eve of Tuesday’s debate between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris. It is part of a long-standing American political tradition of portraying immigrants as outsiders.
“This is what’s happening in our country. And it’s a disgrace,” Trump said at the debate after repeating the falsehoods. When ABC News anchor David Muir confronted him about the false claims, Trump stood firm, saying “people on TV” had said their dogs had been eaten, but he offered no evidence.
Officials in Springfield have tried to quash the hoaxes, saying there are no credible or detailed reports of pets being kidnapped or eaten. State leaders are trying to address some of the real challenges facing the city.
Ohio Republican Governor Mike DeWine said Tuesday he would add additional resources for law enforcement and health care to the aid package the state has already provided to Springfield.
Many Haitians have come to the United States to escape poverty and violence, embracing President Joe Biden’s modern and expanded legal entry options and avoiding illegal border crossings. Only 92 of more than 56,000 apprehensions at the border were made in July, according to the most recent data available.
The Biden administration recently announced that an estimated 300,000 Haitians in the United States could stay in the country until at least February 2026 and would be eligible for work permits under a law called Temporary Protected Status, which aims to protect people from deportation to countries experiencing unrest.
Springfield, about 45 miles from the state capital of Columbus, experienced a pointed decline in manufacturing toward the end of the last century, leading to a population decline. But the downtown area has been revitalized in recent years as more Haitians arrived, helping to meet a growing need for labor as the economy recovered from the pandemic. Haitians now make up about 15 percent of the population, according to officials.
The city was rocked last year when a minivan crashed into a school bus, killing an 11-year-old boy. The driver was a Haitian who had recently settled in the area and was driving without a valid license. During a city commission meeting on Wednesday, the boy’s parents condemned politicians for exploiting their son’s death to stoke hatred.
On September 6, a post appeared on social media platform X that appeared to be a screenshot of a social media post from Springfield. The post talked about how the “neighbor’s daughter’s friend” saw a cat hanging from a tree to be slaughtered and eaten. It claimed, without evidence, that Haitians lived in the house. The post was accompanied by a photo of a black man carrying what looked like a goose.
On Monday, Vance posted on X: “Reports say the pets of people who were not supposed to be in this country were kidnapped and eaten. Where is our border czar?” The next day, he posted again on X about Springfield, saying his office had received inquiries from residents who said “their neighbors’ pets or local wildlife were kidnapped by Haitian migrants. It is of course possible that all of these rumors turn out to be false.”
Springfield is not alone in its increasing number of immigrants. So far this decade, immigration has accounted for nearly three-quarters of U.S. population growth. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 2.5 million immigrants will come to the United States between 2020 and 2023. Population growth is an significant driver of economic growth.
“The Haitian immigrants who have moved to Springfield in recent years are the reason for the revival of the economy and workforce there,” said Guerline Jozef, executive director of the Haitian Bridge Alliance, which provides legal and social services to immigrants across the United States.
She said Haitian clients in Springfield have told her they are now considering leaving the city out of fear.
___ Spagat reported from San Diego. Associated Press writer Michael Schneider in Orlando, Florida, and Noreen Nasir in New York contributed.
