Blaze News investigates: Springfield sees lives saved, Haitian exodus thanks to Trump's deportation threats



Republicans and other politicos identified Springfield, Ohio, in the lead-up to the 2024 election as municipal proof of the ruinous nature of the Biden administration's immigration policies.

Much was said about Springfield, and a great deal was promised in the way of possible remedies; however, the spotlight has since shifted and national attention along with it.

Blaze News recently reached out to city officials, local law enforcement, and the Department of Homeland Security in hopes of ascertaining whether anything has actually changed — for better or worse.

While the mayor and elements of his office are tight-lipped about the matter, the head of the Tremont City Police Department in the greater Springfield metropolitan area revealed that a great deal has changed socially and demographically since November — and that much of it can be attributed to President Donald Trump.

"I can't even fathom how bad it could be if that election went completely opposite," said TCPD Chief Chad Duncan. "There were people living in tents behind businesses, just inside of the wood line. The parks were overrun with homeless immigrants, and you don't see that now."

"So I guess you got to thank the good Lord that He decided to give us what we asked for, which was President Trump, and he did it in a very timely fashion," added Duncan.

Before

The blue-collar city, which had a population of just over 58,000 in 2020, was flooded over a short period of time by tens of thousands of Haitian migrants.

The majority of these migrants were temporarily authorized to stay under humanitarian parole programs, including the Biden administration's controversial Cuban Haitian Nicaraguan Venezuelan parole program, which authorized 211,010 Haitian parolees by October 2024.

Many of those who flocked to Springfield initially entered the country illegally — as Vice President JD Vance suggested, to the liberal media's displeasure, during the Oct. 1 vice presidential debate — but were spared deportation on account of Haiti's Temporary Protected Status.

If a nation has an ongoing armed conflict, has an environmental disaster, or faces other extraordinary conditions, the DHS secretary can designate that country for TPS, thereby shielding its nationals squatting in the U.S. from deportation for a period of six to 18 months.

Biden's DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas reinstated Haiti's TPS in 2021, then kept doubling down in subsequent years, expanding eligibility for protection along the way.

'We have had this influx that has taxed all these services.'

The rapid population growth experienced by Springfield, which was driven by the influx of largely deportation-immune Haitian migrants who in many cases were entitled under federal law to exploit public benefits such as food stamps and Medicaid, resulted in immense strains on the city's health care, law enforcement, housing, and schools.

The New York Times noted, for instance, that between 2021 and 2023, Springfield's health clinic saw a 13-fold increase in Haitian patients, which left its staff and budget greatly overburdened.

Springfield Mayor Rob Rue told PBS News last year, "The infrastructure of the city, our safety forces, our hospitals, our schools — Springfield is a close community and has a big heart, but at the same point, we have had this influx that has taxed all these services."

Citizens' unease over the migrant crisis — which at one point prompted a petition to recall the entire city commission — was exacerbated by cultural differences with elements of the Haitian population; harassment; special treatment afforded to migrant students; concerns over wage suppression and job replacement by migrants; allegations of Haitians eating pets and wildlife; and a significant spike in Haitian-caused traffic accidents.

'It's been overrun. You can't do that to people.'

One accident in particular prompted some Ohioans to rethink their acceptance of the new reality foisted on them by the Biden administration .

Hermanio Joseph, a Haitian immigrant who had been in the country for roughly one year, took to the roads of Clark County, Ohio, on Aug. 22, 2023, in a minivan without a driver's license. Driving recklessly, he veered across the center line of State Route 41 and into a school bus full of children, injuring 23 and taking the life of an 11-year-old American boy, Aiden Clark.

Following the horrific crash, numerous citizens made abundantly clear at the Aug. 28, 2023, city commission meeting that they were reaching their breaking point. Things would, however, get worse before they could get better.

After

When asked whether there have been any signs of progress or relief in the migrant crisis in Springfield following the election, Chief Duncan told Blaze News, "Things have changed drastically."

"When our president got elected, it seems that a majority [of the Haitian migrants] packed up and either went to New York or Florida," said Duncan. "At one point, you couldn't even find luggage in the vicinity because they'd all been bought up because they were leaving."

President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance indicated on the campaign trail that they would send packing many of the Haitian migrants paroled and/or granted temporary protected status by the Biden administration.

"We're going to have the largest deportation in the history of our country," Trump told reporters in September. "And we're going to start with Springfield and Aurora, [Colorado.]"

"It has nothing to do with Haiti or anything else. You have to remove the people, and you have to bring them back to their own country," Trump told NewsNation the following month. "Springfield is such a beautiful place. Have you seen what's happened to it? It's been overrun. You can't do that to people."

Sure enough, on his first day in office, Trump signed an executive order instructing the DHS secretary to "terminate all categorical parole programs that are contrary to the policies of the United States established in my Executive Orders, including the program known as the 'Processes for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans.'"

The DHS indicated in an unpublished notice obtained by CBS News late last month that the Trump administration was planning to revoke the parole status of those allowed into the U.S. under the CHNV program. Those who have not yet obtained asylum, a green card, or TPS would be placed in deportation proceedings.

Like the 350,000 Venezuelan migrants who will soon lose work permits and temporary protection from deportation following DHS Secretary Kristi Noem's Feb. 1 decision, Haitian migrants could soon lose their temporary protected status.

During his first term, Trump tried to revoke TPS for Haitian migrants but was blocked by a California-based Obama judge. A three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ultimately vacated U.S. District Judge Edward Chen's injunction but did not issue its directive to the lower court to make that ruling effective.

There appears now to be an opportunity and the political resolve to go the distance. Trump has vowed to terminate the TPS designation for Haiti.

The DHS had no comment on the proposed revocation of CHNV parolees' legal statuses or whether Noem will soon terminate Haiti's designation for TPS.

While CHNV legal statuses appear not to have yet been revoked en masse and there has been no announcement of Haitian migrants losing their protected status, multitudes of Haitian nationals in Springfield apparently weren't keen on waiting around for the other shoe to drop.

Following the election, there were reports of large numbers of Haitian migrants bailing out of Springfield in anticipation of possible deportation efforts.

"People are fully aware of the election result, and that is why they are leaving," Jacob Payen, co-founder of the Haitian Community Alliance, told the Guardian in November. "They are afraid of a mass deportation."

Chief Duncan told Blaze News that the fear of Trump's promised deportations was heightened by the understanding that "Ohio is not a sanctuary state and Springfield is not a sanctuary city" and by the clear presence of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in the area.

'Our death toll would have probably been extremely high if some of those migrants didn't vacate this area.'

"As soon as he was elected, they were rolling out by the droves," continued Duncan. "It could only be that they feared they were going to be deported right then and there."

The exodus of migrants has transformed Springfield, suggested Duncan.

"We haven't had as many vehicle accidents. Our hospitals are not full like they were all last year. Our schools are starting to go back to normal class sizes," said the police chief.

Duncan indicated that those migrants who have remained are for the most part "following the letter of the law now" and have done the work to get their driver's licenses.

"I haven't towed any Haitians' vehicles in the last three or four months," he said. "The people that want to stay here are doing the right things to make sure that they are able to stay, and the ones that did whatever they wanted to — it seems they vacated."

Duncan indicated that Trump's threat of deportation not only prompted positive change but may have saved lives.

"Our death toll would have probably been extremely high if some of those migrants didn't vacate this area and go elsewhere," said Chief Duncan. "I mean, they were living in the woods, in tents behind businesses, and this kind of cold weather — they would have never made it."

The exodus of migrants also meant that there is more housing availability for those who remain as well as less strain on local resources during what has ended up being a "really, really bad winter."

Blaze News reached out to Mayor Rob Rue and City Manager Bryan Heck for comment about the migrant crisis and the apparent exodus of Haitians. A city spokeswoman indicated that they "are not providing any comments on these matters at this time."

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EXCLUSIVE: Police chief defends Springfield residents, blasts government’s poor management of migrant crisis



The government's mishandling of the immigration situation in Springfield, Ohio, has caused otherwise avoidable "turmoil" between residents and Haitian nationals, Tremont City Police Chief Chad Duncan told Blaze News' Julio Rosas.

Duncan echoed concerns other residents have voiced to Blaze News that local and federal governments have failed to even try to assimilate the foreign nationals into the community's existing culture before flooding the area with such large numbers of new arrivals.

'It's not good for either side, and that's a shame.'

Bill Monaghan, a former journalist, recently told Rosas that many locals have self-censored over fears of being labeled racist or intolerant for voicing their concerns. When some have spoken out about lack of housing and increases in traffic accidents, the city has either ignored them or insinuated that their concerns "are based in some sort of misplaced racial antipathy," he stated.

"Being ignored and being called racist is, I think, a big part of the reason why people are concerned about talking," Monaghan remarked.

Duncan explained that the situation in Springfield has spilled over into nearby towns, including Tremont City. According to the police chief, many of the surrounding municipalities are trying to crack down on the increase in reckless driving and unlicensed drivers by towing vehicles, but Springfield is not.

"The impact is that people that shouldn't be driving are out there, and they're allowing them to drive," Duncan told Rosas. "A lot of these people aren't even getting cited after they get in a wreck."

As a result of the increased traffic accidents, many caused by unlicensed Haitian drivers, insurance rates in the area have gone up, the police chief told Blaze News.

"People are losing their lives. I mean, it's a big impact," he continued. "I tow their vehicle because that is the only way to get them to stop, or at least try to stop them."

"I found hitting people's pocketbooks gets their attention, and a tow around here is about $400 when you're all said and done. And then they have the citation to pay for," Duncan noted.

He told Rosas about an unlicensed individual whom he pulled over and towed his vehicle twice in a two-week period. In one of those instances, the individual was "coming through town at 44 miles an hour in a 25-mile-zone," Duncan said.

When asked whether Springfield would have towed the driver's vehicle in that situation, Duncan stated police there would not have.

"If you look at the protective status for these refugees or immigrants," Duncan said, referring to the federal government's Temporary Protected Status program, "if you get two misdemeanors, you are subject to be deported."

Duncan explained that the driver he stopped had three misdemeanors for operating a vehicle without a license. He questioned whether the individual would be likely to face any real consequences.

Further creating issues in Tremont City, Duncan stated that he could no longer listen in on the Springfield Police Division's radio frequency since the city started receiving national attention over the immigration crisis. He speculated that the department may have turned it off to reduce criticism by concealing its activity.

"That makes a huge impact for us, because if they have a shooting in the city or they're on a chase in the city and they end up in the county, and I don't know about it — we've had them come through Tremont at 100 miles an hour. Think about that. That's a 25 mile-an-hour street with little kids walking around on it," he said.

According to Duncan, all of the issues now facing the community as a result of the massive influx in immigration could have been avoided.

"There was an alternative way that would have been beneficial to everybody involved," he continued. "I just want everyone to understand that we're not against the Haitians."

"We understand. Anybody that has a heart, that has any empathy, has any intelligence, when your home country is the way Haiti is right now, you want to get out. You want to find safety, and you want to take care of your family and yourself," Duncan remarked.

Duncan stated he is frustrated with the government's failure to provide services to assimilate the immigrants. He argued that the Haitian nationals should have first been placed in one centralized location where they were taught English, how to drive, and how to find work before sending them into U.S. communities. He explained that such a process would have avoided placing all the hardship on one community.

"If they had taken the time, instead of worrying about the elites lining their pockets, and just took the time, this could have went so much smoother and been so much more beneficial to everybody involved," he added.

Instead, the mishandled situation has caused confusion and frustration for locals and Haitians living in the area, Duncan said.

"You've got a city that's in absolute turmoil. Everybody's against everybody," he stated.

Duncan told Rosas that he had recently spoken with a young Haitian woman whom he had pulled over after she had driven around a barricade.

"She had her license. She had her insurance. She had a registration. Everything was squared away. So obviously, that didn't result in any citations or anything," he explained.

Duncan stated that he told the young woman, "'I just want you to understand that we're not against you Haitians, okay? We want you to be here. We just don't like the way our government puts you here. It doesn't help you. It doesn't help us.' And she started to cry. She's like, 'I thought you guys just hated us.' I said, 'No, it's not you. It's the way the government does things.'"

"We kind of built a little bridge there, and that's what it's all about," he said.

"I don't have a problem with them. I understand what's going on in that country," Duncan said, referring to Haiti.

"The end result is, we're just going to constantly have turmoil because they haven't adjusted to our culture," he added. "It's not good for either side, and that's a shame."

After several unanswered calls to the Springfield Police Division, the department told Blaze News in an emailed statement, "Thanks for your interest. I will see what we can get to you, but your deadline is tight and we do not have capacity right now with all the media requests we are getting. We will get back to you as soon as practical."

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EXCLUSIVE: 'They have decided to go silent': Springfield police cut radio access as Springfield descends into 'absolute turmoil,' says Ohio police chief



Tremont City Police Chief Chad Duncan says Springfield, Ohio, has fallen into "absolute turmoil" since the arrival of approximately 20,000 Haitian nationals.

Blaze News' Julio Rosas returned to Tremont City, located approximately eight miles outside Springfield, this week to speak with local officials and residents to learn their perspective on the impact of the new arrivals.

'They're allowing them to drive.'

Duncan told Rosas that Springfield has descended into lawlessness and that he is concerned it is spreading to nearby towns, including Tremont City.

"You've got a city that's in absolute turmoil," he said, referring to Springfield. "Everybody's against everybody."

One of Duncan's most significant concerns is the increase in traffic accidents caused by Haitian drivers, who often are not licensed to operate vehicles, he said.

He told Blaze News that Tremont City law enforcement is doing everything possible to crack down on the potentially deadly crashes but noted that Springfield appears to be protecting Haitian nationals from facing any real consequences for reckless driving.

"People that shouldn't be driving, they're out there and they're allowing them to drive," Duncan remarked.

Duncan told Rosas about a recent traffic stop he conducted involving a Haitian national.

"He didn't even have a license," he said.

According to Duncan, the driver was speeding through Tremont City, going 44 mph in a 25 mph zone.

He said it was the second time over a two-week period that he pulled the driver over and had the individual's car towed.

Rosas asked Duncan whether Springfield would have towed the vehicle in that instance.

"No," he replied.

Duncan speculated that Springfield may be softening or avoiding reckless driving consequences for Haitian nationals to protect them from deportation.

"If you get two misdemeanors, you are subject to be deported," he told Blaze News.

Duncan added that his access to Springfield's police radio frequency has been cut off since the city started attracting national attention over the impacts of the immigrant crisis.

"We were able to hear them on the radio. They have decided to go silent. We don't know what's going on in the city," Duncan said.

When asked why he believes the city has made it hard to communicate, Duncan speculated that the Springfield police turned off the ability for others to hear their radio communications to obstruct any outside monitoring of their actions and, thereby, having to answer for those actions.

Duncan noted that there was reportedly a recent threat at a school that he was unable to hear over the radio.

"I just caught wind of it from another chief that's right next to the city," he said.

Duncan explained that the city's leaders should have handled the influx of Haitian nationals differently.

"If they had taken the time, instead of worrying about the elites lining their pockets, and just took the time, this could have went so much smoother and been so much more beneficial to everybody involved," Duncan stated.

When asked how he believes the situation will turn out, he responded, "I really don't know what the end result will be. But right now, it's not good."

Blaze News attempted to reach out to the Springfield Police Division for comment multiple times, but the department did not answer its non-emergency phone line, which provides no option to leave a voicemail.

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