SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — A city in Ohio has become a focal point in the national debate over migrant resettlement in the United States.
Springfield, located about 30 minutes northeast of Dayton, has recently attracted national attention. Ohio’s Attorney General, Dave Yost, has now intervened in the situation.
On Monday, Yost announced that his office is exploring legal options to prevent the federal government from sending an unlimited number of migrants to Ohio communities.
Springfield’s website notes that the city has seen a significant increase in population in recent years, largely due to legal immigrants moving there. The city attributes this growth to its lower cost of living and available job opportunities.
City officials estimate that the immigrant population in Clark County is between 12,000 and 15,000, based on data from the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles, Springfield City Schools, local healthcare providers, and social services agencies.
Officials in Springfield are facing challenges due to this population increase, particularly in areas like public safety, healthcare, housing, and school resources.
Yost argues that the issue is not with the migrants themselves but with the rapid influx of people and the lack of support from the federal government. “The problem is a massive increase in the population without any communication or assistance from the federal government,” Yost stated.
Yost’s announcement followed a claim by Republican vice presidential candidate and Ohio Senator JD Vance. On his X account, Vance alleged that “reports now show that people have had their pets abducted and eaten by people who shouldn’t be in this country.”
The city responded by stating that they have no information to support these claims. A city statement said, “We wish to clarify that there have been no credible reports or specific claims of pets being harmed, injured, or abused by individuals within the immigrant community.”
The city also noted that there have been no verified incidents of immigrants engaging in illegal activities such as squatting, littering, or disrupting traffic.
In response to the rumors, some have referenced a separate story involving a woman from Canton, about 150 miles from Springfield, who was arrested for allegedly torturing, killing, and eating a cat, according to NBC affiliate WKYC.
A spokesperson for Vance’s campaign told NBC News that the senator’s tweet was based on a “high volume of calls and emails” from concerned citizens in Springfield.
Earlier this year, Springfield was also in the news for a different reason. Hermanio Joseph was convicted in a fatal school bus crash last August. He was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and vehicular homicide by a Clark County jury. The validity of Joseph’s Mexican driver’s license has been a key issue in the case, as he did not possess a valid U.S. license, leading to felony charges instead of misdemeanors, according to WLWT’s sister station WDTN.