Springfield, Ohio, was thrown into the middle of the national immigration debate in the wake of a tragic school bus crash last August that killed an 11-year-old boy and injured 23 other children. The driver in that crash was a Haitian immigrant-a fact that heightened local anxieties about the number of Haitian immigrants pouring into this part of America. Where many have migrated, especially immigrants from Haiti, Springfield estimates 20,000 within the last several years, spurred by available jobs in the manufacturing and warehouse sectors.
Outrage among some in Springfield was palpable in the wake of the bus crash and word that the Haitian driver was driving on a foreign license which is illegal to use in Ohio. In one City Commission meeting, "citizens expressed unease with the hundreds of immigrants who arrived- many undocumented -some fearing it would drive up crime. MOST local officials tried to reassure them that most immigrants were here legally and had not added to the city's crime problems.
The town of Springfield, which had a population of about 58,000 people in 2020, was facing economic decline and had lost population over the decades due to the closing of factories. But with the revitalizing of the economy through new manufacturing plants, which entailed a Honda factory and distribution centers, thousands of new jobs were created. Many of these jobs were filled by Haitians, who had migrated into the town, giving Springfield a much-needed boost economically, though straining all the services in the locality including health clinics and schools.
With all the immigrants coming, the town had been pressured in terms of infrastructure: housing, schools, and health services. The health clinic had taken up many Haitian patients, while schools had hired additional ESL teachers. Yet, despite the inability to fully harmonize, the immigrant populations had provided new blood into Springfield, revitalizing it, as many were into an industry which was in dire need of workers.
It also drew national attention after Senator JD Vance, now a Republican vice-presidential nominee, blamed federal immigration policies, which he said had overwhelmed the town by the arrival of Haitians and buoyed up housing costs. This further fanned the flames of rhetoric in tensions within the local community, with people starting to blame the immigrant community for problems in society around them, even though there was no evidence to link them to increased crimes.
Though many in Springfield appreciate their economic contributions, this crash polarized a community that had previously welcomed the Haitian immigrants. Some have spoken out in sympathy for the newcomers, just last summer praising their work ethic and what they bring to this town in renewal. Others are resentful and leery of changes stirred by this tide of immigration. As the debate rages on, Springfield epitomizes the same tensions across America over immigration.
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