Former President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that his administration would “absolutely” revoke the temporary protected status for Haitian migrants living in Springfield, Ohio, and deport them back “to their own country.”
Around 20,000 Haitian migrants have settled in Springfield in recent years, a spike in population that Trump said has caused the town of around 58,000 residents to be “overrun.” The Ohio town, located between Dayton and Columbus, has become the center of national media coverage after both Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance (R-OH), cited unconfirmed reports of Haitian migrants stealing and eating residents’ pets.
“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 reporter Ali Bradley.
“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. … I’d revoke (the protected status), and I’d bring (the migrants) back to their country,” the former president added.
NEW – In an exclusive interview with @NewsNation @AliBradleyTV
Trump says he would revoke the temporary protective status of Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio.
Bradley: So you would revoke the temporary protected status?
Trump: Absolutely. I'd revoke it, and I'd bring… pic.twitter.com/kqxlmNU67A
— Libbey Dean (@LibbeyDean_) October 3, 2024
The Biden-Harris administration has granted temporary protected status to migrants from countries experiencing intense turmoil, including Haiti, Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. Temporary protected status lasts up to 18 months and can be extended by the Secretary 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 Minnesota Democratic Gov. Tim Walz on Tuesday, saying, “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.”
Trump announced on September 18 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, and 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.
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Some Springfield residents told The Daily Wire last month that they are concerned about the massive influx of Haitian migrants with one person saying the city’s police force is understaffed. “They say our police force is staffed. It’s not,” said the resident, who asked to remain unnamed. “They’re tied up on traffic calls and they’re trying to translate to people that don’t know English.”
“I would like to see the election go in favor of Donald Trump this year, and I would like to see deportations,” he added.
Trump has promised to conduct the largest mass deportation operation in U.S. history if he’s elected to another term in the White House. Under the Biden-Harris administration, illegal immigrant encounters along the U.S. southern border have reached record numbers, with around 10 million encounters reported by Customs and Border Enforcement.