Few tiny American towns have thrown themselves into a presidential race the way Springfield, OH, has dominated the final month of the 2024 campaign. Springfield is a tiny, degenerating city of 59,000 in southwest Ohio. In recent years, it has welcomed 15,000 Haitian migrants who are only legal because of some immigration laws. Legdemain by the Biden-Harris White House that does not pass the smell test and would likely not survive a challenge in the federal courts.
Earlier this month, the “Haitians Eat Cats” campaign sparked a burst of creativity among meme makers the likes of which the internet hasn’t seen in four years. But it was former President Trump who threw that burning paper bag of feces into the national consciousness during his debate with Kamala Harris and two ABC staffers.
This drew media attention to Springfield. During one of these visits, an interview went viral in which a factory owner praised the Haitians’ work ethic in contrast to the locals’ sloppiness; see WATCH: Springfield, Ohio CEO Claims Haitians Are Better Employees; He and Frank Luntz Get Nuked on X.
As it turns out, Mike DeWine agrees that the Haitians have boosted Springfield’s economy.
DeWine defended the thousands of Haitian migrants living in Springfield, but noted that it has been a challenge to settle 15,000 migrants in a city of fewer than 60,000 people in recent years.
“These Haitians came here to work because there were jobs, and they filled a lot of positions. And when you talk to the employers, they did a very, very good job and worked very, very hard,” he said.
Here’s the version of the same defense he used on This Week on Sunday morning.
RADDATZ: And here’s a question I never thought I’d have to ask: As governor of the state, do you see any evidence of Haitian immigrants eating pets?
DEWINE: No. Absolutely not. That’s what the mayor said. That’s what the police chief said. I think it’s unfortunate that that came up.
Let me tell you what we know, though. What we do know is that the Haitians that are in Springfield are legal. They came to Springfield to work. Ohio is on the move, and Springfield has really seen a gigantic resurgence with a lot of businesses coming here.
These Haitians came to work for these companies. The companies tell us they are very good workers. They are very joyful to have them there. And frankly, it has helped the economy.
Are there any problems associated with that? Well, of course. When you go from a population of 58,000 to 15,000 people, you’re going to have some challenges and problems. And we’re addressing those. We’re working on that every day. Basic health care is indispensable.
Another area we are working tough on is driving. We have Haitians who, frankly, have often never driven a car. We need to offer more driving training and we are working on that.
So those are the things we’re working on. Springfield is making progress. As governor of the state of Ohio, I’ve always been of the opinion that we want people who want to come here legally, come from another state or another country, and want to work.
RADDATZ: So – so, Governor, let – let me –
DEWINE: This state is really making progress.
This is the rest of the interview.
RADDATZ: So, the bottom line is that you’re asking for government support. In Springfield, Ohio, nobody ate pets.
What would you say to Donald Trump if he started circulating these unsubstantiated stories? Is it responsible for a presidential candidate, a former president of the United States, to make such unsubstantiated claims?
DEWINE: Look, there’s a lot of garbage on the Internet, and that garbage just wasn’t true. There’s no evidence for it.
And now we see this: We see that Haitians –
(CROSSTALK)
RADDATZ: But – but I would like – I would like you to – to address what you would say –
DEWINE: Let me just finish because –
RADDATZ: OK, but I want you to address what you would say to Donald Trump.
(CROSSTALK)
DEWINE: Let – let me just – yes.
Yes. There are hate groups coming to Springfield. We just don’t need those hate groups. I saw a piece of literature yesterday that the mayor told me about, supposedly from the Ku Klux Klan.
Look, Springfield is a good city. They’re good people. They’re welcoming. We face challenges every day. We work on those challenges.
Haitians are – they are culturally – my wife Fran and I saw this when we were in Haiti, that education is highly valued. So when you look at all of these things, people who want to work, people who value their children, who value education, you know, these are positive influences on our community in Springfield.
And any other comment on that, in my opinion, is hurtful and not helpful to the city of Springfield and the people of Springfield. This is a state in transition, a city in transition.
These Haitians can be part of it, but there are challenges. And you know, I’ve talked to people in the White House. We need additional support.
I think when so many people flock to a community, they need support.
(CROSSTALK)
RADDATZ: Governor – Governor, I – I let you speak for a few minutes.
I want to come back to that. There were threats in Springfield. Hospitals had to close. Schools had to close because of bomb threats.
You were a gigantic supporter of JD Vance. He spread this conspiracy. Eleven million people saw it on X.
DEWINE: Look –
RADDATZ: Is there a connection between the threats against your state and the statements made by President Trump and the online activities of JD Vance?
DEWINE: I think these discussions about Haitians eating dogs and cats and other things have to stop. We have to focus on the basics. What is critical is that we provide basic health care to everyone in a rapidly growing city and that we also take care of housing.
These are the basic things we need to do. We need to focus on that and not on this discussion about Haitians eating dogs. That’s just not helpful.
And these people are here legally. They are here legally. And they want to work. And they actually work.
And when you talk to the employers, they say, “We don’t know what we would do without them. They work, and they work very hard, and they fit well with our Springfield natives who have been working in this business or in this manufacturing company for a long, long time.”
So that’s what we need to focus on. And you know, this idea that hate groups are coming in and talking – that discussion just has to stop. We need to focus on moving forward, not on dogs and cats getting eaten. That’s just ridiculous.
RADDATZ: Also, on Tuesday night, Trump again refused to accept the 2020 election results. He told false stories, as you noted, and falsely claimed that he called in 10,000 National Guard troops on January 6.
How do you reconcile all of this with your support for Donald Trump? Has it waned in any way?
DEWINE: Look, I — yes. I said before we knew who the nominee was going to be that I would support the Republican nominee for president. I’m — I’m a Republican.
I think when you look at the economic problems – and those are the problems that I think concern the American people the most – I think Donald Trump is the – is – is the best – is the best choice.
RADDATZ: So you would advise him to keep talking about that and not about pets in Ohio?
DEWINE: I think you have to – when you’re talking about things that people really care about and that are critical and that a president can really influence.
Now he can also talk about immigration – and of course he does, and both candidates do that, all four candidates. Look, there are – these are legitimate problems that we have at the border. I am not trivializing that at all. And these are legitimate arguments on which the extensive majority of Americans agree with Donald Trump and not with the – and not with the Vice President.
But what’s happening in Springfield is fundamentally different. These people are here legally. They’ve come to work. These are – these are good people.
RADDATZ: OK.
DEWINE: These are hard-working people.
RADDATZ: Thank you for joining us this morning, Governor DeWine.
DEWINE: Thank you.
RADDATZ: We look forward to your comments.
RELATED TOPICS: Gov. Mike DeWine sends state troopers to Springfield, Ohio, despite ABC claiming everything is OK there
The influx of Haitians has not created jobs in Springfield; it has simply displaced local workers with illegal immigrants. The Haitian migrants fall under the Biden-Harris “humanitarian parole program.” They are eligible for Federal benefitsand those benefits are not income-based. When you get government subsidies for housing, food, healthcare, etc., that drives down wages. When the government issues housing vouchers, that drives up housing costs, which makes it much more attractive for some landlords to push Americans out of the housing market because the federal government doesn’t care how much you charge.
Note that DeWine has so far shown no interest in the economic impact on Springfield residents, focusing on the benefits that what can only be described as indentured servitude brings to local manufacturing.
Someone in Ohio should take a little interest in why this is happening and why the Democrats and the Republican Party establishment seem to have no problem importing tens of thousands of Haitians and dumping them in rural Ohio communities.
