Several Ohio lawmakers asked the Biden-Harris administration on Tuesday for emergency funding for Springfield, Ohio, as the town deals with a massive influx of migration and national media attention.
Six Republican Ohio congressmen delivered letters to the Department of Justice, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Education, asking each department to provide financial assistance to Springfield as the town continues to grapple with the logistical and infrastructural issues of mass Haitian immigration into their community. In their letters, the congressmen claimed the Biden-Harris administration was directly responsible for the town’s crisis.
“The mass migration of Haitian nationals to Springfield is the direct result of the Biden-Harris Administration’s reckless and misguided promulgation of immigration policies like the Haitian Parole Program and the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitian migrants,” the GOP lawmakers wrote. “Programs like TPS allow Haitian nationals to remain in the country indefinitely.”
The lawmakers went on to say that “it is the Biden-Harris Administration’s responsibility to provide assistance to the City of Springfield, its schools, healthcare centers, law enforcement, and social services agencies as they navigate this immigration crisis.”
The letters were signed by Ohio GOP Reps. Mike Turner, Michael Rulli, Mike Carey, Brad Wenstrup, Robert Latta and Warren Davidson.
Springfield was thrust into the national spotlight earlier this month after it was alleged on a social media page for local residents that a Haitian migrant had been spotted butchering a pet cat for consumption. That claim gained further attention when President Donald Trump mentioned it during his presidential debate with Vice President Kamala Harris.
The Daily Caller News Foundation visited Springfield and spoke to residents about the national media attention surrounding the town. While no one who spoke with the DCNF could confirm claims of pet-eating by migrants, many locals expressed dismay at the sheer number of Haitian migrants entering the relatively small town — with estimates around 15,000 to 20,000 Haitians descending into Springfield in just the last several years, overwhelming a town of fewer than 60,000.
The enormous influx of migrants has exacerbated the city’s transportation, education and other social services, locals told the DCNF.
“Too many people are being brought into our small city that was struggling to begin with,” Rhonda Adams, a local resident and grandmother who has lived in Springfield her entire life, said to the DCNF. “We don’t have the resources to accommodate [all of the arriving Haitian migrants]. We have so many homeless people here.”
Adams didn’t care for the negative attention surrounding Springfield, but like many other residents, she was also glad that the city’s plight was finally being highlighted.
“That’s what we need because our mayor, our city commissioners, and [Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine] have acted like it’s not a big deal,” Adams said. “I like it because we need to be heard. We are not getting help from our city government or our governor.”
As for Turner and the other Ohio Republican congressmen, they say the White House is responsible for helping the town get a hold of the situation.
“The federal government created this crisis, and Springfield is entitled to a federal remedy,” the lawmakers wrote. “Action is required by your agency, and our offices stand ready to work with you on this critical matter.”
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the DCNF.
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