Ohio city with Haitian migrant influx thrust into political spotlight

Amna Nawaz: Today the small city of Springfield, Ohio, found itself at the center of a fraught election-year issue, immigration. Republican vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance claims Haitian migrants in Springfield are — quote — "draining social services and causing chaos." He's also repeated a baseless rumor, already debunked by city officials, about pets being abducted and eaten, a story amplified by right-wing media and Elon Musk online. Geoff Bennett: Over the last four years, Springfield has seen its small population grow by over 20 percent, driven almost entirely by immigrants. William Brangham recently went to Springfield to understand how the city is coping. William Brangham: The sounds of Haitian Creole carrying across soccer fields, in grocery stores, in restaurants dishing up the popular Haitian street food pate kode. It's striking hearing all this in the heartland of the United States Springfield, Ohio. Springfield is a small, blue-collar city with a familiar story. Much of the factory work left decades ago, and the residents followed. A community of more than 80,000, emptied out to less than 60,000, that is, until the last few years. Wes Babian, Springfield Resident: Our churches, we see new people. William Brangham: In the pews? Wes Babian: Yes, absolutely. William Brangham: Wes Babian was the pastor at First Baptist church for almost 20 years. Wes Babian: For years, we have lost people. But you hope somebody else will come and take their place. That hasn't happened here. William Brangham: Until now. Wes Babian: Because there are folks from Haiti who are coming to church. William Brangham: Luckens Merzius, who among his many other jobs mans the sound board for Sunday services, is one of those new Haitian members. Luckens Merzius, Springfield Resident: Why Springfield? (Laughter) William Brangham: Of all places. Merzius with his wife and daughter were among the first Haitian families to arrive here in 2018. Luckens Merzius: I got a decent job when I was in Haiti. And then to make a difficult decision to leave, it wasn't easy. William Brangham: The reason they left is their home country is disintegrating. Protests and increasing violence in the Caribbean nation culminated in the assassination of President Jovenel Moise in 2021. Since then, the country spiraled. Armed gangs currently control 80 percent of the capital, Port-au-Prince. Merzius is one of the estimated 731,000 Haitian immigrants now living in the United States. Luckens Merzius: I got my brothers and sisters, my mother still living there. I'm always thinking about my family in Haiti. William Brangham: Because of that violence, the U.S. granted temporary protected status to Haitians in the U.S., giving them limited-time permission to live and work here. TPS was then expanded by the Biden administration. Merzius says he came to Springfield for the same reason most Haitians did. He heard that housing was cheap and jobs were plentiful. Jamie McGregor, CEO, McGregor Metal: It started slowly. We had an application pool that was a little bit different. William Brangham: People coming to work here. Jamie McGregor: People looking for jobs. What he is welding here, again, are welded axle components. William Brangham: Jamie McGregor is the CEO of McGregor Metal, which makes welded parts for the auto and farm industries. Right now, about 10 percent of his work force is Haitian, over 30 employees. Jamie McGregor: I wish I had 30 more. 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. William Brangham: McGregor acknowledges the sudden arrival of so many new immigrants is a challenge on multiple fronts, but he believes this is partly how the Industrial Midwest can regrow Jamie McGregor: We want more jobs in our community. And in order to fill those jobs, some jobs need to be people who are not originally from here. Rob Rue, Mayor of Springfield, Ohio: There's things in the last five years that have really changed and has been a forward improvement for Springfield. But this is taxing the resources of the city. William Brangham: Springfield's Mayor Rob Rue says he was cautiously optimistic when the first Haitians settled in town. But then their numbers quickly rose. The city estimates 12,000 to 15,000 Haitians are here now. Rob Rue: The infrastructure of the city, our safety forces, our hospitals, our schools. Springfield is a close community and has a big heart. But at the same point, we have had this influx that has taxed all these services. William Brangham: The number of students needing English language help has quadrupled in five years. Translators at the local health center cost hundreds of thousands of dollars a year. And last year was the busiest year on record for the fire department. But it seemed that, for the community at large, the increase in immigration and its stresses largely flew under the radar. A lot of that changed last August. It was the very first day of school, and a school bus full of kids was coming down this road. A driver coming in the other direction came around that bend, said he was blinded by the sun. He clipped the bus and the bus ended up in this ditch. Woman: We begin with breaking news. Multiple law enforcement agencies are on the scene of a deadly school bus crash. William Brangham: Dozens of children were injured and 11-year-old Aiden Clark died. When the driver was revealed to be a Haitian immigrant without a U.S. license, things erupted. Woman: The majority of the Haitians here are low-skilled and thy illiterate. Man: I want to know who is busing them in. Who is responsible for that and who can stop them from coming? William Monaghan, Springfield Resident: Our concerns don't have anything to do with racism. They have to do with lack of affordable housing. William Brangham: For the past few months, Springfield resident and former journalist William Monaghan has been a fixture at city commission meetings. He helps run a Facebook group that's become a clearinghouse for locals' concerns about the Haitians, where people complain about everything from reckless driving to higher rents. Woman: Do you shop in Springfield? No. Do you drive the streets of Springfield? No. Do you consider Springfield your home? No. Are your kids safe in school? No. William Monaghan: They're talking about, I got kicked out of my house because the rent went way up. My insurance has gone way up. I don't feel safe in the stores anymore. With maybe a couple exceptions, it's never a race issue. They want to make it sound like a racial issue so they can demonize us and ignore our concerns. But these are valid concerns. Rob Rue: I have the same concerns that you as moms and dads, grandparents, aunt and uncles have. I won't say this is a Haitian crisis. This is an immigrant crisis. It's the fact that we have so many people here and we have a culture clash. William Brangham: Mayor Rue says reckless driving is an issue, but there's been no uptick in crime related to the immigrant population. But with so many new arrivals, he says the city needs help bolstering basic infrastructure. Rob Rue: We say we need help, basically for translation services and safety forces. That's what were looking at. Our hospitals need reinforcement. William Brangham: In the meantime, local nonprofits like St. Vincent de Paul have stepped in. Here, people learn how to apply for jobs and how to navigate the city's computer system. Woman: It's really important that when you file applications with immigration… William Brangham: A translator and a local lawyer helped this woman with her visa application. In a building across town, Viles Dorsainvil runs a support center that helps Haitians integrate into American life. He understands why so many new arrivals into an established community can create conflict. Viles Dorsainvil, Haitian Community Help and Support Center: They have the right to express themselves, because we are living in a free speech world. But it is from the Haitian side who are trying to find jobs and opportunities, where it is from the locals are complaining because too many people are coming here. It is human being. We are expressing ourselves, the way we feel, but at the end of the day, we have to find a way out, to live together. William Brangham: But he says many Haitians would also return home if the violence subsided. Do you hope one day to go back to Haiti? Luckens Merzius: Yes, hopefully. I can't wait hopefully to go back to Haiti, because I am dreaming Haiti. William Brangham: Dreaming Haiti, meaning at night while you're dreaming, you are there? Luckens Merzius: Yes. Yes, I'm there, so still working, still trying to integrate and then facing with challenges all the time in the U.S., but I'm also dreaming of my country. William Brangham: For now, the residents of Springfield, old and new, will continue writing the latest complicated chapter in the story of immigration in America. For the "PBS News Hour," I'm William Brangham in Springfield, Ohio. For more information, visit us at https://www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com/.