Bernie Moreno, the Trump-backed Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Ohio, visited Springfield on Saturday morning and said he believes its semi recent influx of Haitian immigrants is a “total disgrace.”
By local estimates, over the last several years, around 15,000 immigrants from Haiti have become part of the city’s population—which was less than 60,000 during the last census. Most of the Haitian immigrants are receiving short-term protections from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to work legally in the United States, a status that has been extended through at least 2026 as the Caribbean island endures political violence and instability.
Officials say the yearslong population swell has put strain on numerous resources, from health care to road safety to housing availability. But with Election Day close, politicians in Ohio and elsewhere have used Springfield as an immigration issues poster child.
Former President Donald Trump called Friday for deportations of Springfield's immigrant population if elected, something Moreno said Saturday he'd be for. Moreno said he takes issue with the federal government providing the protective status in most instances.
“I worry more about an administration that's allowed 10 to 12 million people to come here illegally. If they could get here,” Moreno said, “We could get them out.”
The comments came as the Springfield Police Department and community members fielded a third day of bomb threats and related evacuations.
Moreno has long highlighted his identity as a Colombian immigrant to characterize his stance on immigration policies.
“The reality is, it is infuriating, absolutely infuriating to those of us who came here legally, who followed the process, to watch this country for decades reward people who skip the line and come here illegally,” Moreno said.
Several dozen state and local Republicans and other attendees cheered through his remarks, including Secretary of State Frank LaRose, who eventually took the podium at the sunlit side patio of downtown restaurant Stella Bleu. LaRose ran against Moreno in the GOP primary but took a distant third.
Moreno, a political newcomer and entrepreneur, wants to unseat longtime incumbent U.S. Sen Sherrod Brown—the only statewide elected Democratic officeholder. Brown’s office issued an official statement Friday evening, but a spokesperson did not say whether Brown would be in Springfield this weekend.
“My office has been in touch with local, state, and federal law enforcement, city and school officials, and community leaders, and we will continue to work with them. Springfield faces real challenges, but the people playing politics are not helping—we need to lower the temperature and work together for the people of Ohio,” it read.
Gov. Mike DeWine said Tuesday he would send at least $2.5 million in assistance to address a lack of primary care providers, and authorize surging Ohio State Highway Patrol resources.
“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.”
But like Moreno, DeWine has set 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, he said Tuesday.
