Here are five takeaways from our reporting in the last five months about the Haitian community living in Springfield:
1. ‘Springfield is now saturated,’ mayor says
Mayor Rob Rue told residents at the last commission meeting the city did not know about the possibility of a large immigrant population coming but said a “network of businesses knew what was coming.”
He said the city’s Immigrant Accountability Response Team that formed last fall has discovered the possibility companies “knew they were going to make an effort to bring in individuals who were crossing the border.”
Rue said he was upset the city did not get a chance to plan for the immigrants.
“Springfield is now saturated,” he said.
>> FULL STORY: Springfield mayor says investigation into businesses, immigration continues
City Leadership is committed to raising awareness about the impacts of the immigration surge in our community in an...
Posted by City of Springfield, Ohio - Government on Friday, July 12, 2024
2. Officials are asking for help
City of Springfield and Clark County government officials are seeking help from the state and federal levels.
In April, Rue and two other Springfield officials — Bryan Heck, city manager, and Jason Via, deputy director of public safety and operations — went to Washington, D.C., to meet with representatives from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services and the U.S. Department of Labor to ask how the federal government can help.
They also met with U.S. Rep. Mike Turner, R-Dayton, who represents Springfield and the southern portion of Clark County. Turner has been critical of the Biden administration for expanding immigrant eligibility for Temporary Protected Status, which he has said opened the door for more immigrants to come to Springfield without resources.
>> FULL STORY: Springfield leaders talk growing Haitian population with federal government
In May, a three-person Clark County government delegation also went to Washington, D.C., to
Clark County Commissioner Sasha Rittenhouse; Ethan Harris, director of community development; and J. Alex Dietz, deputy director of development, visited as part of the Dayton Development Coalition’s annual fly-in, scheduling visits with the offices of lawmakers Rep. Mike Carey, Sen. Sherrod Brown, Sen. JD Vance and Turner.
“The federal government has allowed them to come into our country; most of them are here legally,” Rittenhouse said.
Rittenhouse said the area needs financial assistance from the federal government for the needs.
>> FULL STORY: Clark County officials talk in DC about needs with growing Haitian population
3. Haitian-led community center offers aid
The new Haitian Community Help and Support Center is led by Haitian community leaders, which Haitian pastor and president of the community center board Vilès Dorsainvil said gives it a unique position.
Many resources for Haitians are run by nonprofits and local government agencies.
The center is a one-stop-shop for resources with its goal being to end the need for Haitians to visit organizations all over to find what they need.
The center at 1530 S. Yellow Springs St. sees a large number of people seeking services such as help setting up and maintaining accounts with Columbia Gas and Ohio Edison, obtaining food stamps, Medicaid, work permits and car insurance, Rose-Thamar Joseph, the center’s secretary and a board member, said.
>> FULL STORY: Haitian-led community center identifies challenges, needs for immigrant population
4. Status extended by feds
Most Haitians are here legally, making their way from a violent and gang-ruled island homeland to Mexico.
Katie Kersh, senior attorney with Advocates for Basic Legal Equality, said many Haitians coming here go to Mexico and get a CBP One, a mobile app that allows users to request appointments related to immigration. That allows them to be legally processed into the U.S. through what’s called the parole program. They then typically obtain Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, which allows them to temporarily stay in the country. Others may apply for asylum, which is evaluated based on a person’s individual situation and if they were persecuted or have a fear of persecution, or for both TPS and asylum.
>> FULL STORY: Haitian immigrants in Springfield face complex immigration system and long delays
This summer, Homeland Security officials extended the temporary legal status for Haitians already in the United States, which will allow hundreds of immigrants in Springfield and the surrounding areas to apply to remain until February 2026.
TPS does not provide a direct path to citizenship. It does allow immigrants to apply for a work permit.
>> FULL STORY: How could Temporary Protected Status extension for Haitians affect Springfield?
5. Frequent city commission topic
The surge of Haitian immigrants is a topic at every Springfield City Commission meeting, and some of the discussions have become heated.
The public comment portion of the meetings, which has been at the end of commission business, will be moved to the beginning portion of the meetings, starting with the next session on Tuesday.
Mayor Rue said: “We’re doing this to let the community know that public comments are our priority, and we want to give energy to it.”
> FULL STORY: Springfield leaders move public comments to start of commission meetings