Haitian immigrants flee Springfield, Ohio, in droves after Trump election win

[Diamond_Dog]

From a tiny office behind a Haitian grocery store on Springfield’s South Limestone Street, Margery Koveleski has spent years helping local Haitians overcome bureaucratic red tape to make their lives in the Ohio city a little bit easier.

But Koveleski – whose family is Haitian – has noticed a major change recently.

Haitians are now coming to her to figure out how to leave.

“Some folks don’t have credit cards or access to the internet, and they want to buy a bus ticket or a plane ticket, so we help them book a flight,” she told the Guardian recently. “People are leaving.”

Koveleski, leaders in Springfield’s Haitian community, and others have relayed reports of Haitians fleeing the city of 60,000 people in recent days for fear of being rounded up and deported after Donald Trump’s victory in the 5 November presidential election.

“The owner of one store is wondering if he should move back to New York or to Chicago – he says his business is way down,” Koveleski remarked.

Trump has repeatedly said he would end immigrants’ temporary protected status (TPS) – the provision through which many Haitians are legally allowed to live and work in the US – and deport Haitians from Springfield once in office.

For many, the threats are real.

A sheriff in Sidney, a town 40 miles (64km) north-west of Springfield that is home to several dozen Haitian immigrants, allegedly told local police in September to “get a hold of these people and arrest them”.

“Bring them – I’ll figure out if they’re legal,” he said, referencing Haitian immigrants in the area.

As Jacob Payen, a co-founder of the Haitian Community Alliance who runs a business that includes helping Haitians in Springfield to file tax returns, said: “People are fully aware of the election result, and that is why they are leaving; they are afraid of a mass deportation.

“Several of my customers have left. One guy with his family went to New Jersey; others have gone to Boston. I know three families that have gone to Canada.”

More
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/nov/17/haitian-immigrants-springfield-ohio-trump-election

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. How horrible!

TFG is the one that needs deporting. How infuriating his actions are, and they will only get worse.

Really pisses me off!

[Diamond_Dog]

6. Me too Peggy

And our spineless Gov does and says nothing

[B.See]

22. Welcome to Trump's Fascist America

[haele]

2. Well, there goes their small manufacturing workforce

And half their tax base.
Hey Sheriff "I'll figure out who's here legally or not". How are you going to like losing a quarter to half your budget next financial planning go-round?
And he's probably not going to admit in his tiny hate filled mind that he and his type are playing a large part in the future economic death of his relatively rural county.

The Factory owners have already told you they either can't and don't want to hire half your white "working class" high school graduates due to attitude problems. Those immigrants are keeping your small towns alive.

Haele

[Diamond_Dog]

4. You nailed it, Haele

[MichMan]

3. Any undocumented immigrants should head to either California or Chicago

Both have already indicated they won't cooperate with ICE.

[LisaL]

5. Haitians are documented.

MAGA don't seem to care if an immigrant is documented or not.

[MichMan]

8. Which is why they need to go to a friendly state

[LiberalArkie]

15. The Japanese U.S. citizens in WW2 were also documented with U.S. birth certificates..

[COL Mustard]

11. The weather is better in Cali.

That's where I would head, if I needed to.

[enough]

7. Trumpers are salivating -- more suffering, sooner!

[Doodley]

9. My heart breaks for those folks and for what is happening to America.

[duhneece]

17. Agreed-my first thought was another group of human beings hurt by T

Yet another group of people to cry for.

[Better Days Ahoy]

10. They're welcome in Springfield

Massachusetts

[Norbert]

12. Sad as it is, they are correct in leaving Ohio

Not so much DeWine. He gets it but does not have the backbone to stand up to trump.

Ohio is going to get a lot worse before it ever gets better.

[liberalhistorian]

19. I'm originally from Ohio

and now am fortunate enough to live in Minnesota. My ASD son and elderly mother still live in Ohio and hubby and I are bringing them here to live with us as soon as the family home in Ohio is sold. We'd planned to make that move next summer, but have moved up that timeline as I want them out of Ohio ASAP.

And I've told other family that this Christmas is the last time I'll travel to Ohio; I refuse to travel to a red state after the inauguration. I just don't trust it, especially having Minnesota license plates.

[Evolve Dammit]

13. Lies and words matter. Fuck You JD Vance and Orange Slobfather. YOU caused this and it has hurt Springfield.

[Libloom]

14. Wtf with the last paragraph

“They don’t have any faith in the Democratic party,” she said. “Some believe that if Donald Trump says, ‘leave Haiti alone,’ he’s going to leave us alone.”

[mountain grammy]

16. Heartbreaking.. they are here legally

but we all know that's not really the issue now is it? This is awful.

[FightFight]

18. RACISM MAKES YOU STEWPED

The White Ethno State believes it is better to have a dead town than a bustling one made by hard working black people

It reminds me of all the people who said obamacare was different from the ACA so that they wouldnt have to accept health care from President Obama's black hands https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/07/upshot/one-third-dont-know-obamacare-and-affordable-care-act-are-the-same.html

willful ignorance --sincere stupidity

[B.See]

21. You are ABSOLUTELY CORRECT.

WILLFUL ignorance (and I like that phrase "sincere stupidity).

I remember once reading of some state (don't remember which) that deliberately named the ACA something else, just so their resident HATERS wouldn't think it was a healthcare plan delivered by the despised Black man in the white house.

[AlexSFCA]

20. mass deportation will affect tens of millions

this is because of the upcoming executive order that nullifies birthright citizenship. Unfortunately, it is applied retroactively. Meaning children of undocumented immigrants who were born here, would be stripped of citizenship status, much like jews were in nazi Germany. Not to mention enforcement of laws that would incriminate those US citizens who resist and provide safe harbor to undocumented folks. I am least worried about Mexico which has better economic potential compared to many in Latin America so especially english speaking deportees would be able to manage. I would be more concerned about countries with ongoing wars and conflicts - it’s like sending people to die. Hope Mexico can accept those too. This is a new reality - and I am not so sure that being sent to a concentration camp (aka detention center) is better than “self-deportation”. Knowing this administration, one can expect total sadists hired as guards for those camps.