Gov. Mike DeWine said Tuesday afternoon he will send at least $2.5 million in state assistance to Springfield, a western Ohio community home to a quickly growing community of Haitian immigrants whom GOP politicians have thrust into the national spotlight.
Anywhere between 10,000 and 20,000 immigrants from Haiti have added to the 60,000-person city’s population over several years. Most are receiving short-term protections from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to work legally in the United States through at least 2026 as the Caribbean island endures political violence and instability.
The population swell has put strain on numerous resources, from health care to road safety to housing availability. That is something DeWine said the state has already been consulting with county and city officials for “many months” on.
Over the next two years, the newly allocated money will go toward addressing a lack of primary care access, DeWine said at a press conference, as the Ohio Department of Health works with the Clark County Department of Health and other primary care providers. DeWine said he also authorized surging Ohio State Highway Patrol resources in Springfield starting Wednesday morning.
“The goal, of course, is to reduce dangerous driving regardless of who the driver is,” DeWine said.
DeWine’s intention Tuesday, he said, was also to combat abounding online rumors with facts about how the state has been handling the situation. He lauded Springfield, saying officials have “done a very good job dealing with a very difficult situation that was not of their making.”
“I am not against this program. What I do say though, is that with this program, there has to be a plan,” DeWine said. “The Haitians who are here are hardworking people. They have families, and they care about their families, and they care about their children.”
Over the weekend, misinformation metastasized online about Springfield, forcing local law enforcement to debunk unfounded claims that the immigrants were eating cats and ducks. Some of Ohio's most prominent Republican politicians, including former president Donald Trump's running mate U.S. Sen. JD Vance, shared memes magnifying the claims.
“It's possible, of course, that all of these rumors will turn out to be false,” Vance wrote in part in a Tuesday post to Twitter.
DeWine deflected questions about the rhetoric, deferring to county and city officials on the matter. He set the blame at the federal government’s feet. Other cities in Ohio, including similarly sized Findlay and Lima, are seeing surging populations of Haitian immigrants they may not be prepared to handle, DeWine said.
Attorney General Dave Yost said he will investigate the federal government’s role in the situation in Springfield. A spokesperson did not answer an interview request Monday.
