SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — Ahead of the election, GOP candidates are focusing on immigration.

While the recent campaign rhetoric surrounding Springfield, Ohio, has many citizens within the city limits on edge, it has also shined a light on some of the existing issues that have been built within the community over the last few years.

The national traction from the presidential debate and online social media posts has put Springfield, Ohio, on the map across the country. 

What You Need To Know

  • The recent rhetoric surrounding Springfield, Ohio has sparked national attention to immigration in the state 

  • Immigration is not new for the city it has been welcoming refugees for a few years

  • Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has also put forth money to help combat some of the existing problems such as access to  primary health care
  • He has also guaranteed state troopers to schools to ensure safety to all students

“Due to the significant increase in the immigrant population in our community, the response team seeks to investigate and understand," said the City of Springfield Mayor Rob Rue.

Springfield has continued its efforts to take steps to help its growing Haitian community and ways to acclimate resources accordingly. Last October, the city teamed up with Republican United States Congressman Mike Turner who oversees the region to help create an Immigration Accountability Response Team.

Its goal is to support immigrants who face challenges and provide a coordinated response for issues caused by the city’s growing population. Turner has addressed immigration reform nationally on the United States House of Representatives floor previously. He brought attention to the influx of refugees coming into his district to seek asylum. 

"The City of Springfield is strained with infrastructure, housing and schools all pushed to the limit," said Turner in his speech on the House floor.

He addressed the United States House of Representatives in June in an attempt to stop Congress from funding a Biden administration parole program, which has helped immigrants, including Haitians, come to the United States. 

"These Biden policies are wrong," Turner told the House in a speech. "And put these people, and the city of Springfield, in the impossible circumstances.” 

The city gained national traction recently from posts on X, formerly known as Twitter, associated with Vice Presidential nominee JD Vance, as well as comments on the debate stage from former President Donald Trump. While Vance later acknowledged that the veracity of his rhetoric might not be true, he told a reporter in an interview it still served a purpose.

He said the purpose was to help shed light on the City of Springfield. 

"I say that we're creating a story," Vance said. "Meaning, we're creating the American media focusing on it. I didn't create 20,000 illegal migrants coming into Springfield."

The rhetoric also exposed the community to various other issues, such as bomb threats, safety problems toward Haitian and refugee communities, school safety, and more.

"He did a disservice to our community," Denise Williams, who serves as the president of the NAACP Springfield OH Unit said. "Not just to the entire community, and he did a disservice to the Black community. And he especially did a disservice to the Haitian community." 

"We all are human," Gyasi Jones, a Springfield resident, said. "At the same time, we all human, we all bleed the same. And. I just don’t get the hate." 

It was a day after the debate when Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced the state would allocate millions of dollars to help the city with health care, traffic and school issues.

"So that primary care can be expanded in the community," DeWine said. "So that citizens who already live there don't have to wait a long time to get care so that the Haitians who are there don't have to wait to get care." 

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