Springfield, Ohio – Just last week, the town of Springfield, Ohio, was foisted into the national spotlight over its ongoing Haitian migrant crisis. While conservatives fixated on speculative claims that the newly arrived Haitians were eating household pets, liberals instead touted Springfield as an immigrant success story.
Springfield, a town only 45 miles from the city of Columbus, has long suffered from the effects of deindustrialization at the turn of the century. Since the year 2000, manufacturing jobs have been nearly cut in half. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, manufacturing jobs were said to have decreased from about 13,000 to only 7,000 in 2024.
According to Data USA, Springfield was home to 58,645 people in 2022, with 70.2% of the population listed as non-Hispanic White. However, over the past few years, between 12,000 and 20,000 Haitian migrants have been brought into the city, with Haitians now making up a whopping 15% of the population.
While a few of these Haitians already lived in the United States with permanent legal status or green cards, some of them have been brought in by a Biden administration program that allows a financial sponsor in the US to introduce people from Haiti legally for two years.
Many also took advantage of a Biden administration decision to allow the expiration of Title 42 in 2023, entering the country illegally. However, the same administration granted those who did so temporary legal status in June, allowing upwards of 300,000 Haitians already in the United States to remain in the country legally until February 2026.
As a result, Springfield has been hailed by the New York Times and other liberal media outlets as an immigrant success story. They have since attributed the city’s so-called “revitalization” to these newly arrived Haitian migrants, willing to take on various blue-collar jobs. These outlets argue that local residents are either unable to fill these roles due to crippling drug addictions or an unwillingness to take on work considered “beneath them.”
Meanwhile, several local businesses have capitalized on the new Haitian workforce, including McGregor Metal which makes parts for cars, trucks, and tractors.
In an interview with PBS, McGregor Metal CEO Jamie McGregor says he “wishes” he could have even more Haitian migrants working at his factory because they “work everyday,” “stay at their machines,” and don’t have alleged “drug problems” like many struggling local residents.
“I wish I had 30 more (Haitian migrants),” McGregor said. “Our Haitian associates come to work every day. They don’t have a drug problem. They will stay at their machine. They will achieve their numbers. They are here to work. And so, in general, that’s a stark difference from what were used to in our community.”
He would later report to the New York Times that recent Haitian arrivals now comprise a staggering 10% of his company’s workforce.
Springfield, Ohio factory owner celebrates replacing American workers with Haitian migrants.
“Our Haitian associates come to work every day. They don’t have a drug problem. They will stay at their machines. They are here to work… and that’s a stark difference from what we’re… pic.twitter.com/OGADwwvDTs
— AF Post (@AFpost) September 10, 2024
McGregor’s claims about the “superiority” of his Haitian workers compared to local residents appear untrue.
“Let me tell you something about all of the Haitians there: none a single god damned one of them produces half of what even an American-born black can do,” said an individual claiming to be a former employee of McGregor on the message board 4chan.
“I literally have videos of them falling asleep at his plant, I’m not even shitting you. Jamie McGregor is destroying his grandfathers legacy,” he continued.
While 4chan is an anonymous image board whose information cannot be reliably verified, the poster preceded to upload what appeared to be an official Certificate of Achievement issued by McGregor Metal, lending credence to the claims.
The anonymous employee would then post a video of what he purports to be one such Haitian migrant standing idly at an industrial machine instead of loading it. The video ends in view of a box with the words “McGregor Metal,” which can be seen in the background.
While liberals have praised the “revitalization” of Springfield, its recent economic upswing does not appear to be due to the Haitian migrants themselves, but the various state and federal subsidies attached to them. Enrollment in Medicare, federal food assistance, and various other welfare programs—have surged in Springfield, according to a report by Reuters.
🚨BREAKING:
SPRINGFIELD, OHIO UPDATEHomeless woman OUTRAGED over not receiving any help from local government while the 20,000+ Haitians get EVERYTHING for free and are their #1 priority…
She claims the Haitians call their EBT
card the “magic money card” because it never… pic.twitter.com/I89v9yKXWU— Tyler Oliveira (@tyleraloevera) September 10, 2024
However, it does not appear that locals can easily enroll in these same programs. One such local, a homeless White woman who lost her job in April said she had been repeatedly denied access to food service programs. Another White woman, this time a single mother battling with homelessness, reported that ever since the Haitians had arrived, it has become increasingly difficult to obtain any form of government assistance. She further states that they must “fight” tooth and nail for food stamps.
Springfield, Ohio 🚨
How the Haitian influx is affecting the homeless population— a single mother who is homeless with her child spoke on the situation:
“𝗜’𝗺 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗺𝗽𝘀 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻… pic.twitter.com/ziZWm0ZP0r
— Tayler Hansen (@TaylerUSA) September 12, 2024
Another common complaint among locals is the surge in rent prices, which is also linked to the influx of Haitian migrants. According to Reuters, from July 2022 to July 2024 rents in Springfield have surged 26.5%—compared to 9.5% nationwide—while wages have only risen by approximately 10% in the same time period.
As a result, many locals have been priced out, unable to access government assistance as easily as Haitians, whose government subsidies allow them to work for less than local workers.
Springfield’s new Haitian community has imposed various other social costs as well. In addition to economic woes, there has been a stark uptick in vehicle accidents, including one by a Haitian migrant without a US driver’s license who drove into a school bus, killing 11-year-old Aiden Clark and injuring 26 other children.
After Springfield gained the national spotlight, Aiden’s father would go on to claim that he wishes his son “was killed by a 60-year-old White man instead” in order to stop the spread of “racism” and ill-feelings towards migrants.
The parents of Aiden Clark say they wish he had been killed by an older white man, instead of a Haitian, because they say his death has been used to spread hate towards migrants. Aiden’s father asks for Republicans to stop using his death for political reasons. pic.twitter.com/jzlzm5EI9q
— TheBlaze (@theblaze) September 10, 2024
While the situation in Springfield appears grim, meaningful conversations surrounding the issues appear few and far between. Instead of focusing on the material reality, conservative social media influencers have instead fixated on speculative claims that Haitians are eating cats, dogs, and even ducks.
They would then back up these claims through the use of AI-generated images of former President Donald Trump hugging various animals, which went viral on platforms like X/Twitter. Trump himself even mentioned the claim during his latest debate with VP Kamala Harris.
The source of these claims appears to originate from a Facebook post by Springfield resident Erika Lee. However, Lee has since retracted the post and apologized after being hounded by the media for her role in spreading the sensational rumors.
Meanwhile, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, has come out and called these claims “garbage.” Instead, he has announced additional subsidies to Springfield to handle the increased Haitian population. Including $2.5 million toward expanding primary care access and additional resources to address “the increase in dangerous driving in Springfield by inexperienced Haitian drivers.”
DeWine’s connection to Haiti and its people extends beyond his recent efforts. In 1998, DeWine began supporting the Becky DeWine School in Haiti’s Cite Soleil slum, named after their daughter, who passed away in a 1993 car accident at the age of 22.
Operated by a charity the DeWines have long backed, the school has endured repeated closures due to gang violence but is currently open, according to the governor’s office. In 2013, the DeWines traveled to Haiti to mark the school’s first graduating class.
Haitian migrants have imposed societal issues not only in Springfield but also in other states such as Massachusetts and elsewhere.
In early July, a Haitian migrant, identified in reports as 26-year-old Cory Alvarez, was accused of raping a 15-year-old girl in Massachusetts. Shockingly, he was released on a paltry $500 bail despite requests by ICE to detain him.
Earlier in the month, a different Haitian migrant, this time identified as 18-year-old Akim Marc Desire, was charged with molesting his 10-year-old neighbor in a Massachusetts town listed as 84% White per the latest US Census reports.
Pictured top: AI-generated image of Donald Trump hugging a duck and cat (House of Judiciary GOP/X)
This article originally appeared on the Justice Report and is republished by The Noticer with permission.
