How Springfield, Ohio’s Haitian Migrant Community Got Caught in a Political Firestorm

Springfield, Ohio — At the Saint Vincent de Paul Society community center in Springfield, Ohio, Haitian immigrants receive food and clothing and help finding jobs.

“They’re here and they’re our responsibility,” said Kaci Rollins, who runs the community center.

Rollins told CBS News that the supplies were a welcome addition to asylum seekers fleeing violence and famine in collapsing countries.

Rollins said migrants “want work,” adding that some of them “have three jobs, they never stop working.”

Since 2020, approximately 15,000 Haitians have settled in Springfield. The city has a population of just under 60,000.

Ohio Republican Gov. Mike DeWine announced Wednesday that to address the “migrant surge” in Springfield, he would deploy Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers to patrol Springfield’s roads and provide $2.5 million in funding for health care.

“These Haitians came here to work because there were jobs, and they took a lot of jobs,” DeWine said. told CBS News in an interview Wednesday. “And if you talk to employers, they’ve done a very, very good job and they work very, very hard.”

But when it comes to immigration, Springfield has become tense ever since last Augustwhen a minivan driven by a Haitian immigrant without a valid license collided head-on with a school bus, killing 11-year-old Aiden Clark.

And on Tuesday night, former President Donald Trump added fuel to the fire of local grievances by repeating a baseless conspiracy theory during the debate with Vice President Kamala Harris.

“In Springfield, they eat the dogs, they eat the people who came, they eat the cats. They eat the pets of the people who live there, and that’s what’s happening in our country, and it’s a disgrace,” Trump said.

Moderator David Muir immediately responded by reading a statement from Springfield’s city manager saying: “There have been no credible reports of specific complaints of pets being injured, mistreated or abused by individuals within the immigrant community.”

DeWine echoed those comments Wednesday, telling CBS News that “there is no truth” to Trump’s claims.

And even if these claims are false, the suffering of the migrant community has been real for a long time.

“We try every day to improve ourselves,” one migrant told CBS News. “And when you improve us, the neighborhood improves, the city improves.”

Springfield was once an industrial center. Since 2000, those manufacturing jobs have fallen by nearly half, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, from about 13,000 to 7,000 in 2024.

Haitian immigrants, most of whom have temporary protected status and work permits, have been accused of stealing jobs. But business owners like job recruiter Alex Muller see their presence as essential. Muller says many locals have left the workforce during the pandemic.

“They have been very welcoming, very kind and very grateful for the opportunity to provide for themselves and their families,” Muller said.

It’s a complex problem that can’t be divided along political lines. Nathan Clark, the man whose son was killed in last year’s bus crash, understands it better than most.

“Using Aiden as a political tool is, to say the least, reprehensible,” Clark said at a Springfield City Commission meeting Tuesday. “… My son, Aiden Clark, was not murdered. He was accidentally killed by an immigrant from Haiti. This tragedy has been felt throughout this community, throughout the state and even throughout the country, but don’t turn that into hate.”

Major Garrett and Caitlin Yilek contributed to this report.