Haitian Migrants Overrun an Ohio Town

• An Ohio town has seen its population surge because of a mass influx of Haitian migrants

• The mainstream media is mainly focused on debunking residents’ claims that migrants are abducting and eating pet cats

• President Biden’s mass parole programs are responsible for tens of thousands of migrants relocating to the US every month

The story

The working-class town of Springfield, Ohio, has recently become the focus of a migration debate. With only a population of around 58,000, a surge of over 20,000 Haitian migrants has drastically altered the town's dynamics, raising significant concerns among residents.

The national controversy in Springfield began when news broke of a Haitian migrant who drove across the road and hit a school bus, killing an 11-year-old boy and injuring dozens more.

Residents of the town argue that the over 20,000 Haitians are unqualified to drive and are a risk to public safety. There's widespread uncertainty about how they've acquired driver’s licenses and vehicles so quickly, with some speculating that a "cheat sheet" is being used to help them pass driving exams, along with a rumored black market supplying them with cars.

Another resident shared her experience of Haitian migrants in the town, emphasizing that her complaints are “not about race” but that individuals from a foreign country are coming to her hometown and “living in filth and acting like animals.” Much of the media will ignore this Springfield resident to instead spotlight some of the more extreme accusations made against the migrants.

For example, residents of the town have reported that some of the migrants have been cutting the heads off small animals like ducks and pet cats and eating them, though the local police deny these claims.

However, a police call from last month revealed a Springfield resident reporting a group of four Haitian migrants walking, each with a dead goose in their hands.

While the Biden-Harris administration has green-lit a mass influx of migrants into small communities, residents and locals are being shut out of the conversation almost entirely. Such migration policies have already ignited tensions in the UK and across Europe, and are now starting to transform life in small towns throughout Middle America.

The politics

Vice presidential hopeful and Ohio Senator JD Vance (R) has grasped the mainstream media’s attention by spreading the claims that Haitian migrants were abducting and eating pets. These claims have been made by multiple Springfield residents and on-the-ground journalists, but have not been substantiated by the local police.

Vance further claimed just yesterday that his office “has received many inquiries” from Springfield residents who say “their neighbors' pets or local wildlife were abducted by Haitian migrants.”

An article on Springfield, OH, from The New York Times highlights how Haitian migrants have “revitalized” the town due to their contributions to the town’s booming manufacturing sector. The Times acknowledged some of the problems the migrants have caused, such as vastly straining school and medical resources, and mentioned the fatal school bus crash caused by a Haitian migrant.

However, they failed to mention that the driver lacked an Ohio driver’s license or the troubling pattern of Haitian drivers dubiously obtaining cars and driving privileges.

While many left-leaning media outlets and politicians — including a dramatic display from Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) — have expressed outrage at the insinuation that migrants are eating cats, right-leaning press and independent journalists have been honing in on the broader issue of how mass migration is impacting life in small towns.

Beyond the headlines

One of the unspoken aspects of the story is how many of these Haitian migrants were able to enter the country through the parole programs created by President Joe Biden. Biden’s mass amnesty programs have granted tens of thousands of migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Venezuela, and Nicaragua to enter the United States each month.

The Biden-Harris administration has also been fast-tracking citizenship for illegal migrants and granting them the right to vote just in time for the November election.

The administration also tends to focus on the economic impact of the migrants, asserting that migrants are taking jobs that natural-born Americans are not willing to work and that they are helping keep the economy afloat. While the economic evidence is uncertain at best, many economists believe that a large increase in workers can drive down wages due to increased competition.

Why it matters

As the story in Springfield, OH, continues to center around the accusations of migrants killing and eating animals, the larger issue of hundreds of thousands of migrants moving into American cities and towns will continue to be downplayed by much of the press.

These influxes are putting pressure on schools, hospitals, and social services, while also forcing Americans to compete for jobs, which in turn drives wages down.

In response, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine (R) just approved $2.5 million dollars in healthcare resources to help Springfield with the strain on its health system and is sending additional law enforcement officers to help maintain order.