President Donald Trump has declared that he plans to “revoke” the protected status of Haitian migrants living in Springfield, Ohio, and “absolutely” deport them all “back to their country.”
Under the Biden-Harris administration, the small city of just under 60,000 people has been flooded with roughly 20,000 migrants from Haiti.
The Biden-Harris admin imported the migrants to Springfield from Haiti and gave them temporary protected status so they could live in the country without being classed as illegal aliens.
Trump said the spike in population from foreign nationals has caused the small town to be “overrun.”
The Ohio town, located between Dayton and Columbus, has recently become the center of national media coverage.
The concerns from Springfield residents were amplified when Trump and his running mate JD Vance cited reports of Haitian migrants stealing and eating locals’ pets.
“It has nothing to do with Haiti or anything else,” Trump told NewsNation reporter Ali Bradley.
“You have to remove the people, and you have to bring them back to their own country.”
“Springfield is such a beautiful place,” the 45th president added.
“Have you seen what’s happened to it? It’s been overrun.
“You can’t do that to people. …
“I’d revoke (the protected status), and I’d bring (the migrants) back to their country.”
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The Biden-Harris admin granted temporary protected status to migrants from countries including Haiti, Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.
Temporary protected status lasts up to 18 months and can be extended by the Department of Homeland Security.
According to the American Immigration Council, more than 863,000 migrants are living in the U.S. under temporary protected status as of March 31, 2024.
Vance also addressed Springfield’s migrant influx during his vice presidential debate against Democrat nominee Tim Walz on Tuesday.
“In Springfield, and communities across this country, you have schools that are overwhelmed, housing that is totally unaffordable because we brought in millions of illegal immigrants to compete with Americans for scarce homes,” Vance noted.
On September 18, Trump announced that he would be visiting Springfield “in the next two weeks.”
However, the exact date of Trump’s visit to the Ohio town remains unknown.
Springfield’s Republican Mayor Rob Rue has urged him not to come, citing safety concerns.
“Should he choose to change his plans, it would convey a significant message of peace to the city of Springfield,” Rue said.
Springfield residents have been raising the alarm about the massive influx of Haitian migrants.
Some are reporting that the city’s police force has become massively understaffed as crime surges in the town.
If he’s elected to another term in the White House, Trump has promised to conduct the largest mass deportation operation in U.S. history.
Under the Biden-Harris admin, illegal immigrant encounters along the U.S. southern border have reached record numbers.
Around 10 million encounters were reported by Customs and Border Enforcement.
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