How the Haitian migrant community of Springfield, Ohio, got caught in a political firestorm
Springfield, Ohio — At the St. Vincent de Paul Society community center in Springfield, Ohio, Haitian immigrants receive food and clothes and get help finding work.
"They're here and they're our responsibility," said Kaci Rollins, who runs the community center.
Rollins tells CBS News that the supplies are an open-armed welcome for asylum seekers fleeing violence and starvation from countries in collapse.
Rollins said the migrants "want work," adding that some of them "work three jobs, they never stop working."
Since 2020, about 15,000 Haitians have settled in Springfield. The city has a population of just under 60,000.
Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced Wednesday that in an effort to deal with the "surge of migrants" in Springfield, he is deploying Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers to patrol Springfield's roads, as well as providing $2.5 million in healthcare funding.
"These Haitians came in here to work because there were jobs, and they filled a lot of jobs," DeWine 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 since last August, when 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 poured fuel on the local grievances by repeating a baseless conspiracy theory during the debate with Vice President Kamala Harris.
"In Springfield, they're eating the dogs, the people that came in, they're eating the cats. They're… eating the pets of the people that live there, and this is what's happening in our country, and it's a shame," Trump said.
Moderator David Muir immediately responded, reading a statement from the Springfield city manager saying, "There have been no credible reports of specific claims of pets being harmed, injured or abused by individuals within the immigrant community."
DeWine on Wednesday echoed that, telling CBS News that "there's no truth" to Trump's claims.
And while the claims are false, the pain in the migrant community has been real for long time.
"We try every single day to make us better," one migrant told CBS News. "And when you make us better, the neighborhood is going to be better, the city is going to be better."
Springfield was once a manufacturing hub. Since 2000, those manufacturing jobs have dropped 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 blamed for stealing jobs. But business owners like job recruiter Alex Muller see their presence as vital. Muller says many locals left the workforce during the pandemic.
"They've been very welcoming, they've been very kind, and they're very grateful to have the opportunity to provide for themselves and their families," Muller said.
It's a complicated issue that cannot be divided along political lines. Nathan Clark, the man whose son was killed in last year's bus crash. understands that more than anyone.
"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 all over this community, the state and even the nation, but don't spin this towards hate."