Haitians, residents in Springfield, Ohio, respond to being at center of immigration debate

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — This Ohio city is in the middle of a heated political conversation about immigration after President Donald Trump and his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, made claims without evidence about Haitian immigrants causing crime and eating pets.

"In Springfield they are eating the dogs, the people that came in, they're eating the cats. They're eating the pets of the people that live there," Trump said during Tuesday's presidential debate.

Earlier in the day, Vance wrote on social media that "It's possible, of course, that all of these rumors will turn out to be false," but repeated them on X, formerly Twitter.

"In the last several weeks, my office has received many inquiries from actual residents of Springfield who've said Haitian migrants abducted their neighbors' pets or local wildlife ," Vance posted.

Springfield City Manager Bryan Heck, through his office, released a statement saying there's no evidence of any cats or other pets being harmed or eaten by the Haitian immigrants.

Springfield, a central Ohio city of 58,000 about 50 miles west of Columbus, is experiencing a "significant housing crisis," according to a letter from Heck. Heck said the city's Haitian population has increased to 15,000-20,000 in recent years.

The population increase has sparked local tension, particularly after a school bus crash that killed an 11-year-old, misinformation about pets and geese, and at least $2.5 million in funding from the state. The chamber reached capacity before a Springfield City Commission meeting Tuesday night as dozens of residents lined up outside the doors hoping to share their thoughts.

The USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau spoke to Haitians living in Springfield and other residents about how the city has grown.

How do Haitians in Springfield feel?

Alimemby Estimable, 19, graduated from Springfield High School and worked at an Amazon warehouse. He moved to Springfield four years ago and said he's been called a "dirty Haitian" and an "illegal."

Estimable was bemused by rumors that Haitians were shipped to Springfield and the people from Haiti in Springfield are there legally because of the federal program for temporary protected status .

"The majority of us, we work in warehouses, factories. You can't work there illegally. Obviously, we're legally working," he said.

Morvens Pierre, who also immigrated from Haiti and lives in Springfield, agreed. He said Haitians just want to work.

Estimable said he's seen a lot of wild claims about Haitians in Springfield.

"I've been seeing a lot of people talking about a lot of stuff that's not accurate. You know, saying, like, all Haitians are cutting ducks' necks and eating them at the park and like, they're running into trash cans and homes and stuff. I ain't never seen a Haitian do that before. I'm just keep it real, because I'm a Haitian myself," he said.

What about other Springfield residents?

Some residents feel the city and county are overwhelmed and wish the Haitian population was "evenly dispersed" among Ohio counties. Others said Haitians are unfairly scapegoated.

Teena Rose said she feels "negatively" about the increased Haitian population in Springfield and that the city was not prepared. Rose said the city already struggled with housing and homelessness before more Haitians moved.

John Vick, a resident of 24 years, agreed. He said groceries and county services are harder to find now.

Deandrea Robinson said she believes the city should be focusing on racism and the hate group that walked around with swastika flags and rifles last month.

"They see me standing next to a Haitian, and that's too many Black faces for them," she said.

Joe Ruck, a co-owner of Champion City Cuts Barber Shop in Springfield, said the south side of the city has become known as "Little Haiti."

Ruck grew up in Springfield and said Haitian immigrants are working the jobs and living in the houses that no one else wanted.

He said the Haitian population is easy to pick on, and people in the community say they hate Haitians when really they're frustrated by what an increased population has meant for Springfield with increased rent and house prices and demand for products and food in grocery stores.

"Someone's cat comes up missing? They gonna say the Haitians did it," Ruck said.

Clark County Public Library adapts to new patrons

The Southgate branch of the Clark County Public Library system has Haitian-English dictionaries, a French language book section and a full-time interpreter to assist Haitian patrons.

Branch manager Tangee Hepp, manager of the Southgate library branch, said it used to take library staff 20 to 30 minutes to help Haitian patrons because of the language barrier, and with an interpreter, questions can be answered in a few minutes.

She said the library mostly helps people print documents from their phones, use the copier, fax machines and computers if needed.

Hepp goes to the Haitian Coalition meetings for Clark County every month. She said the library is beginning to consider programming to better serve Haitian patrons.

"Everyone deserves respect and dignity, and not just from a library standpoint, just being here as a citizen of Clark County and a citizen of Ohio. Just treat everyone with respect and give them some time. They're just trying to make a life for themselves," she said.

Erin Glynn is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Haitians, residents in Springfield, Ohio, respond to being at center of immigration debate