Midwest
Springfield resident says roads are like 'Escape from New York' after Haitian migrants overrun rural town
Springfield, Ohio resident Mark Sanders detailed Thursday how the influx of tens of thousands of illegal immigrants has left a devastating impact on his community’s small population.
Sanders told Fox News host Jesse Waters that about 30,000 Haitians have come to Springfield over the past two years, leading to a housing, jobs and healthcare crisis for the city’s 60,000 residents.
A big problem, he says, is the impact on the roads and driving: “Our roads are like it’s like ‘Escape from New York’… You don’t know if you’re going to get from point A to point B without getting run over,” he said, referring to the 1981 movie.
“Life-long residents have been moved out of their homes that they’ve rented for decades. People who own their homes have accepted very high offers and then they’ve been turned into basically dormitories by landlords, both American and Haitian. There’s a lot of greed on both sides of the fence,” Sanders said on “Jesse Waters Primetime.”
“We have a temp service. A temporary staffing service, that actually is probably employing about 95% of those that have arrived here that are working. Many aren’t. Not everybody’s working. And people will say that not everybody is. But the staffing service owns 63 homes. Those homes are used as dormitories. They shuttle the workers to and from their jobs. And, you know, they go. He takes a portion of their check, charges them for transportation charges and for lodging,” he continued.
HAITIAN REFUGEES ‘DON’T UNDERSTAND THE LAWS,’ LAWMAKERS SAY AMID FATAL WRECK, CULTURAL CLASHES
Springfield, Ohio resident Mark Sanders talks about the migrant crisis that has impacted his community.
Residents say auto wrecks have also spiked since migrants arrived.
Last year in Springfield, dozens were injured and a boy was killed after a Haitian migrant without a valid driver’s license swerved and caused a school bus to crash.
Sanders says Springfield residents aren’t “anti-immigrant;” they just want the town to feel safe again and for its residents to have the resources they need.
“Nothing can be further from the truth,” Sanders said. “What we are is a city that only wants our safety, security and sovereignty back.”
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“When you have, obviously the incident that occurred a year ago, we’ve had total upheaval because of that. Our food pantries, they get stripped. Our clinic, which is [called] Rocking Horse, is a federally funded clinic in town. Their budget was decimated. In Haitian, clinic means hospital. Our emergency rooms are overrun,” he continued.
“Of course nobody’s being compensated unless they’ve actually checked in with the Health department and qualified for the Medicaid,” he said. “Our roads are like it’s like ‘Escape from New York’ and everybody feels like Snake Plissken. You don’t know if you’re going to get from point A to point B without getting run over, run into or have a SUV flip over in front of you. And again, the bad driving is multinational. I don’t want to sound like it’s only one group that’s doing it, but I think that they’re the most that’s happening. I mean, they have between four and six wrecks a day and probably over 50% of those are people without licenses, without insurance and have no English skills.”
RESIDENTS OF SPRINGFIELD, OHIO ATTEND CITY COUNCIL MEETING TO SHARE FRUSTRATION ABOUT MIGRANT CRISIS HITTING THEIR COMMUNITY
Former President Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris. (Screenshot: Fox News simulcast of ABC News Presidential Debate)
Springfield came into the national spotlight this week after former President Trump highlighted the tiny town’s problems during the presidential debate, blaming President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris’ “open-border” policies.
During her 2019 presidential campaign, Harris supported decriminalizing illegal border crossings, called to shut down immigration detention centers on day one and talked about Immigration and Customs Enforcement starting again “from scratch.”
Since emerging as the 2024 Democratic nominee, Harris has pledged to “Secure Our Borders and Fix Our Broken Immigration System,” on her campaign’s policy page. She has also doubled down on her support for an “earned pathway to citizenship” for illegal immigrants.
Sanders was skeptical of Harris’ pledge to secure the border after three and-a-half years in office.
“I think Kamala is kind of like that spouse that cheats on you and says she’ll stop when it’s your anniversary. All the things she’s promising to do she can do now. She just chooses not to,” he told Watters. “She’s not the one for the White House. She’s not the one.”
Fox News’ Adam Shaw contributed to this report.
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Video circulating this week shows masked federal agents in Milwaukee arresting people. City leaders say the face coverings violate a city ordinance — but whether federal agents are required to follow local ordinances is a legal question that may ultimately be decided by a federal judge.
RELATED | Father with no criminal record detained by ICE on Milwaukee’s south side, family says
Local attorney Russell Jones said the answer depends on the specific ordinance and what federal authorities are doing.
“The issue becomes whether or not the local ordinances interfere with the operations of the federal officers acting under federal law. If it does, federal law will supersede it. Right, it’s the supremacy clause of the Constitution. If it doesn’t interfere with their operations, then typically they will follow those ordinances. So that’s really the question: do the ordinances interfere with the legitimate operations of the federal agency?” Jones explained.
For the past week, masked federal agents have been seen in Wisconsin arresting people they say are in the country illegally.
Watch: Do federal agents have to follow Milwaukee’s face covering and park ordinances?
Do federal agents have to follow Milwaukee’s face covering and park ordinances?
Galo Suarez described one encounter.
“They broke our side window, and they told us that if we didn’t comply, we would face several heavy consequences,” Suarez said.
Images have also surfaced of what appear to be federal agents in Milwaukee County parks.
Federal agents wearing masks and being in county parks, according to city and county leaders, are against local ordinances.
Milwaukee’s city ordinance prohibits law enforcement officers from wearing face coverings. A Milwaukee County ordinance prohibits any law enforcement agency from using a park as a staging area without a permit.
When asked whether a resolution to the legal question was possible now, Jones said it likely falls to the courts.
“That’s a question that eventually probably some federal judge will answer,” Jones said.
Before the city’s face covering ordinance was passed, City Attorney Evan Goyke wrote in a memo that “it is legal and enforceable.”
Enforcement of the ordinance would fall to Milwaukee Police, who earlier this week said they have “requested a formal written legal opinion from the city attorney’s office regarding the ordinance’s applicability and enforceability.” TMJ4 News reached out to Goyke on this and is waiting to hear back.
ICE has already stated it “will not abide by unconstitutional bans,” noting that “ICE officers wear face coverings for one reason: to protect themselves and their families from real-world threats including agitators.”
Jones said the practical challenge of enforcing a local ordinance against federal officers adds another layer of complexity.
“Enforcing a local ordinance right is typically done with an arrest or issuing a ticket, and certainly arresting ICE officers would interfere with their operations,” Jones added. “Ultimately, a federal judge will decide if these ordinances interfere with federal operations, and if they do, they will be superseded by federal law, and if they don’t, then ICE would likely have to follow them.”
This story was reported on-air by Jenna Rae and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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As we approach America’s 250th birthday, patriotism is running high. Minnesota has a long history with a deep sense of patriotism. In the 1860s as the county was divided over slavery, young Minnesota men stepped up and volunteered to defend and fight for the principles the United States was established on. Local author and historian Hampton Smith tells the stories of patriotism through letters written by soldiers. FOX 9’s Randy Meier has more.
FISHERS, Ind. (WISH) — Indianapolis Animal Care Services announced Thursday that a dog died from heat stroke at its new facility earlier this week.
The animal had been confined to an outdoor kennel for an extended period. Officials say they are investigating to figure out what went wrong.
The incident serves as a warning to pet owners.
Extreme heat, as Indiana has seen since Monday, is dangerous not only for people but also for animals.
The Humane Society for Hamilton County has a few recommendations for keeping pets safe. Gina Smola, director of operations, said Thursday, “Keeping them indoors, that’s the No. 1 thing, in air conditioning. Don’t leave them in vehicles. And the other important thing is if you’re going outside, make it short potty breaks. If the pavement is too hot for your hands, its too hot for their feet.”
Even if dogs or cats are usually kept outdoors, the Hamilton County facility’s staff said to keep them inside during unusually high temperatures.
Emma Nobbe runs community engagement at the Hamilton County shelter in Fishers. “Going on those longer walks, you also want to make sure that you have a shaded area. A lot of people would try to walk their dogs early in the morning or late at night when it’s normally cooler naturally. But if you can’t do that, try to find a trail or a space that’s highly shaded so it’s not only cooler on your dog’s paws but also cooler for them in general.”
Nobbe and Smola recommended keeping walks to no more than 10 minutes. If you are going on a longer walk, bring water and a travel bowl for the pet. Nobbe said, “If you freeze peanut butter to a plate, that’s something they really enjoy. It’s also a tool if you want to keep them inside, but they are more active.”
At the Hamilton County facility, dogs are kept indoors until temperatures cool off. The shelter on Thursday was caring for more than 500 animals, at full capacity. The staff said the days leading up to and after the Fourth of July are their busiest time of year because they receive the highest number of stray and lost animals.
“A lot of people travel, the animals get loose because of the fireworks, so they get very scared,” Smola said.
The Hamilton County staff says Fourth of July fireworks and the heat present a double danger.
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Do federal agents have to follow Milwaukee’s face-covering and park ordinances?
