SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — A Haitian community leader in an Ohio town that burst into the national spotlight over longtime residents’ claims about disturbing incidents involving refugees argues that America’s history means the country should be open to taking in more migrants.
“America is a beacon of the world in terms of democracy, where they say that human [rights] have to be respected and where they say that they treat people with respect and dignity,” Viles Dorsainvil, the executive director of Springfield’s Haitian Community Help and Support Center, told Fox News Digital. “I think the American forefathers made that clear, that America should be an open country for everybody.”
The comments come as Springfield, Ohio, which sits about 50 miles west of Columbus, has recently been thrust into the national spotlight, most notably after comments last week by both people on the top of the Republican presidential ticket, former President Trump and running mate Ohio Sen. JD Vance.
“Reports now show that people have had their pets abducted and eaten by people who shouldn’t be in this country,” Vance wrote in a post on X last week. “Where is our border czar?”
Meanwhile, Trump made a similar claim during last week’s debate when answering a question about immigration.
“They’re eating the dogs, the people that came in, they’re eating the cats,” Trump said. “They’re eating the pets of the people that live there, and this is what’s happening in our country, and it’s a shame.”
While the claims about eating pets have yet to be verified and have been fiercely denied by local leaders, many longtime locals have expressed frustrations with the situation in Springfield.
The town, which had previously experienced decades of population decline and had a population of under 60,000 in the 2020 census, has suddenly grown by thousands of Haitian migrants in just a few years, straining resources and causing some tensions between longtime residents and those new to the community.
“We’ve got an influx of folks that have come in, and I think we were a little bit shocked that it was close to 20,000 people in a community of 60,000, and that’s caused some issues between the folks that live here and the folks that are coming in,” former Republican state Rep. Kyle Koehler, who is now running for state senate, told Fox News Digital.
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Locals have especially expressed frustrations over road safety, arguing that immigrants who have no to little experience driving in their home countries have been allowed to take to the streets with ease, causing a dangerous situation on the roads.
“We do have a really abnormal number of car accidents that are happening,” Koehler said. “And it’s not only the number but the severity of them. When you go on a street that is a 35-mile-an-hour speed limit, and there’s a car sitting on its hood, and I’m not talking about one, I’m talking about five or six accidents a week like that, you begin to wonder.”
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Those tensions seemingly peaked in August 2023 when a bus carrying dozens of local schoolchildren collided with a minivan, injuring more than 20 students and killing one, 11-year-old Aiden Clark.
Dorsainvil acknowledged that the incident increased tension in Springfield, though he expressed optimism that things had “started to get back to normal.” That is until the community was thrust back into the spotlight by Trump and Vance.
Nevertheless, Dorsainvil admitted some tensions do remain in the community.
“There is a group of people who believe that we are here to take away their benefits or whatever belongs to them or take away their job or whatever,” Dorsainvil said, arguing that much of the disconnect between members of his community and longtime locals boils down to cultural differences.
“This is why … in this nonprofit we work on implementing a cross-cultural education … to put on some events to help Americans understand our culture,” Dorsainvil said. “We have this kind of Q&A from time to time with some American friends and trying to see if we can implement more programs to educate the American friends that we have here. We also have programs to educate Haitians about American culture and what they should do to integrate in the community.”
But Dorsainvil also stressed that most members of the community have been friendly and welcoming, while local leaders have worked hard to address any tensions in Springfield.
“Officials have been working to address it, and they also have an inclusive approach,” Dorsainvil said. “The city is a welcoming city. We have officials who are willing to work with the immigrants and local leaders as well. … Springfield is a very welcoming city apart from a group of people who believe that we shouldn’t be here.”
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