What's Going on in Springfield, Part 2

Growing Pains

Some adult Haitians who moved to Springfield, Ohio, within the last five or six years have found job opportunities with local companies. McGregor Metalworks employs about 30 Haitian immigrants in its stamping, welding and spinning shop. That’s about 10% of the total workforce at McGregor. CEO Jamie McGregor has told the media that he’s grateful for the Haitians who have come to work for his family’s company.

"They're here to improve their life. They're not here to cause trouble, either in the workplace or in our community,” he has said. “They don't have a drug problem. They'll stay at their machines. They'll achieve their numbers...And so in general, that's a stark difference from what we're used to in our community and what we've been seeing in the people that we employ."

The strong work ethic of Haitians at places like McGreagor is reminiscent of the immigrants who came to the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and found jobs in labor and manufacturing. In Springfield, companies like International Harvester, Kelly-Springfield Tires and Cromwell-Colliers Publishing drew hard workers who wanted to create a better life for their families. Springfield became a model of the American dream.

By the 1960s, that dream was already in decline. Plants closed as manufacturing moved overseas. Unemployment increased. Young people moved away. Springfield went from “The Champion City” to “the unhappiest city in the U.S.” according to a 2012 Gallup Poll.

Springfield officials worked on ways to attract new businesses and workers. Haitians, many of whom had fled their dangerous home country and received Temporary Protected Status in the United States, were eventually welcomed to Springfield to help revitalize the city.

The transition was not always smooth for the newcomers. Some Haitians were unemployed for a year or more while they waited for work visas. One man told a local newspaper about his first several months in Springfield living in a three-bedroom, one-bath house with 20 other people. Even after finding employment, a housing shortage made it difficult for Haitian families to find comfortable living arrangements.

Nonprofit organizations tried to help Haitians navigate day-to-day life in the United States. For example, adults didn’t realize they needed to make appointments to receive medical care for themselves or their children; they often just showed up at a clinic as they did in Haiti. That put a huge burden on healthcare services in the area.

Longtime residents felt the growing pains too. During city commission meetings, Springfield residents expressed frustration about a variety of issues: lack of housing, the strain on public services and the fear that many longtime residents struggled even as immigrants were brought into the community.

Another hot topic at city commission meetings: wreckless Haitian drivers. This complaint came to the forefront following a deadly school bus crash in August of 2023.

A minivan driven by Hermanio Joseph, 36, a Haitian immigrant, crossed over the center line on a two-lane road and struck a school bus, causing it to overturn. Aiden Clark, 11, was ejected from the bus and died from his injuries. Twenty other students were injured.

According to the Columbus Dispatch: “Joseph did not have a valid Ohio driver's license and provided OHSP troopers who were investigating the crash with a driver's license from Mexico. Testimony at trial, according to the News-Sun, confirmed Joseph had a state identification card, but not a valid state driver's license.” Less than a year later, Joseph was found guilty of aggravated vehicular homicide and involuntary manslaughter.

The tragedy forced local and state officials to take action. In September, Gov. Mike DeWine announced the city would receive $2.5 million to, in part, provide for more state troopers to curtail erratic driving. The state is also working on driving classes to help Haitians adjust to American driving.

Finger-pointing has been in full effect for years. “Springfield is now saturated,” Mayor Rob Rue said in July. He also told reporters that some local business owners “knew they were going to make an effort to bring in individuals who were crossing the border,” and that the city did not have the time or the resources to prepare.

Some citizens believe that city commissioners have been benefiting from Haitian immigration. According to the Springfield News-Sun:

“Gary Armstrong, a frequent commission critic, said two commissioners have Limited Liability Corporations (LLCs) and alleged that a former city commissioner was part of ‘the plot, the scheme, the agenda that brought the immigration here … they’re working against us as citizens. They’re killing this city while several of you,’ he said addressing the commissioners, ;are making money out of these LLCs and renting to the Haitians.’”

City commissioners were quick to deny the claims. Mayor Rue admitted that he does “have an LLC that owns the business that I work in and three properties attached to that, that include seven total rentals … I have owned two of the rentals that have non-Haitian folks in them for 15 years. They are adjacent to my business.” Other commissioners have also denied receiving money in return for bringing Haitians to the city.

Springfield’s immigration issues might have gone unnoticed by the rest of the country had a Facebook post not sparked curiosity and gotten picked up by some Republican politicians. It read:

"My neighbor informed me that her daughters (sic) friend had lost her cat. She checked pages, kennels, asked around, etc. One day she came home from work, as soon as she stepped out of her car, looked towards a neighbors (sic) house, where Haitians live, & saw her cat hanging from a branch, like you'd do a deer for butchering, & they were carving it up to eat. I've been told they are doing this to dogs, they have been doing it at snyder (sic) park with the ducks & geese, as I was told that last bit by Rangers & police. Please keep a close eye on these animals."

The poster later said in an interview that she never expected her claim to go beyond Springfield. At some point, though, vice presidential candidate JD Vance, an Ohio Senator, got wind of the pet-eating story and ran with it. To this day, the rumors have not been proven (although they have at times been discussed at city commission meetings), but the effects have brought a huge national spotlight to a town just trying to survive.

There’s more to the story of Springfield and Haitian immigration, but we’ll stop here. We suggest tuning into Springfield City Commission meetings on YouTube for a well-rounded picture of the highs and lows of the ongoing situation.