An Ohio city reshaped by Haitian immigrants lands in an unwelcome spotlight

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — Many cities have been reshaped by immigrants in recent years without much notice. Not Springfield, Ohio.

The story of economic recovery and its associated growing pains has entered the national debate in a presidential election year – and been maliciously distorted by false rumors that Haitian immigrants eat their neighbors’ pets. Donald Trump reinforced those lies during the nationally broadcast debatefueling fears among some residents of growing divisions in the predominantly white, working-class city of 60,000 west of Columbus.

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 arrived in recent years were attracted by good jobs and the city’s relative affordability. But there has been a growing sense of unease as longtime residents grow increasingly angry about newcomers taking factory jobs that drive up housing prices, congest traffic and strain 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 coffee shop, bakery and boutique line the main drag, North Fountain Street. A flag advertising “CultureFest,” which the city describes as an annual celebration of unity through diversity, flies from a nearby pole.

Melanie Flax Wilt, a Republican commissioner in the county where Springfield is located, said she has urged community and political leaders to “stop feeding the fear.”

“After the election, when everyone is done using Springfield, Ohio, as a talking point for immigration reform, we will be the ones still here facing the challenges and coming up with solutions,” she said.

Ariel Dominique, executive director of the Haitian American Foundation for Democracy, said she sometimes found herself laughing in recent days at the absurdity of the false claims. But it was painful to watch the former president’s comments on national television.

“It’s so unfair and unjust and completely contrary to what we’ve been contributing to the world for so long, what we’ve been contributing to this nation for so long,” Dominique said.

The lies about Springfield’s Haitian immigrants were spread online by Trump’s running mate, J.D. Vance, on the eve of Tuesday’s debate between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris. It’s part of a longstanding American political tradition of portraying immigrants as outsiders.

“This is what is happening in our country. And it is a disgrace,” Trump said on Tuesday’s presidential debate after repeating the lies. When challenged by ABC News host David Muir about the false claims, Trump stood his ground, saying that “people on television” said their dogs were eaten, but he provided no evidence.

Officials in Springfield have tried to quell the misinformation by saying that 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 Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, said Tuesday that he additional law enforcement and millions of dollars in health care funds in an aid package the state has already provided to Springfield as the country deals with a surge in Haitian refugees.

Many Haitians have come to the United States to escape poverty and violence, and they have embraced the support of President Joe Biden. new and expanded legal paths border crossings. In July, according to the most recent data, only 92 of the more than 56,000 arrests took place at the border.

The Biden administration recently announced that an estimated 300,000 Haitians who were in the U.S. as of June 3 will be allowed to remain in the country at least until February 2026eligible for a work permit, under a law called Temporary Protected Status, to prevent people from being deported to countries where conflict is raging.

Springfield, about 45 miles from the state capital of Columbus, suffered a sharp decline in its manufacturing sector toward the end of the last century. But the city center has been revived in recent years as more Haitians arrived and helped meet the demand for labor. Officials say Haitians now make up about 15 percent of the population.

The city was shocked last year when a minivan collided with a school bus, killing an 11-year-old boy. The driver was a Haitian man who had recently settled in the area and was driving without a valid driver’s license. At a city commission meeting on Wednesday, the boy’s parents condemned politicians’ use of their son’s death to stir up hatred.

On September 6, a post appeared on the social media platform X sharing what appeared to be a screenshot of a social media post that apparently came from Springfield. after spoke of the “neighbor’s daughter’s friend” who saw a cat hanging from a tree to be slaughtered and eaten, and claimed without evidence that Haitians lived in the house. It was accompanied by a photo of a black man carrying what appeared to be a goose by his legs.

On Monday, Vance posted a message on X. “Reports are now showing that people are having their pets kidnapped and eaten by people who should not be in this country. Where is our border czar?” he said. The next day, he posted another message on X about Springfield, saying his office had received inquiries from residents who said “their neighbors’ pets or local wildlife have been kidnapped by Haitian migrants. It is of course possible that all of these rumors turn out to be untrue.”

With its growing immigrant population, Springfield is hardly an outlier. Immigration has accounted for nearly three-quarters of U.S. population growth so far this decade, with 2.5 million international migrants arriving in the United States between 2020 and 2023, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s population data. Population growth is a key driver of economic growth.

“The Haitian immigrants who have moved to Springfield in recent years are the reason the economy and workforce there have been revitalized,” said Guerline Jozef, executive director of the Haitian Bridge Alliance, which provides legal and social services to immigrants in the U.S.

She said Haitian clients in Springfield have told her they are considering leaving the city out of fear.

___ Spagat reported from San Diego. Associated Press writer Michael Schneider in Orlando, Fla., and Noreen Nasir in New York contributed.