Midwest
Ohio mayor sounds alarm after village rocked by thousands of African illegal immigrants: 'Unsustainable'
LOCKLAND, Ohio — The mayor of a small village near Cincinnati says he needs help from the federal government after a surge of illegal immigration primarily from Mauritania that nearly exceeds the local population and that he says is “unsustainable.”
“Our county officials estimate that we have around 3,000 of those that have come to a village of 3,420 residents. And our complaint is, if the federal government is going to have an open borders policy, with that they need to have a policy directing these immigrants to communities that can absorb that kind of population increase,” Lockland Mayor Mark Mason told Fox News Digital.
Officials want to be focused on revitalizing the village and its economy, which was downgraded from a city due to its shrinking population, but they instead find themselves strained by the stress of the enormous number of illegal immigrants.
HAITIAN MIGRANTS OVERWHELMING SMALL INDIANA TOWN: ‘IT’S JUST OVERRUN’
This image shows the town of Lockland, Ohio. (Fox News Digital)
There are multiple apartment blocks that officials and residents say are taken over by Mauritanians, who are said to be packed beyond capacity in apartments.
Village Administrator Doug Wehmeyer told Fox News Digital recently that it is leading to around $150,000 in losses for the village, as the illegal immigrants do not pay taxes and are displacing local residents who are moving out of those apartments. It is an assessment shared by the mayor.
“Our fire and paramedic services have been stressed. Since they moved into these apartment complexes, a lot of the longtime residents have moved out because of multiple fires. It’s been caused by their not understanding how to cook on stoves, and they use high levels of grease in their cooking, which have caused multiple fires,” Mason said.
“And so a lot of people don’t want to subject their families to unsafe conditions in these apartment complexes. So, therefore, they’ve moved out – the working residents – and they have moved in. And most don’t have jobs, they don’t contribute to society. They don’t contribute to your earnings tax base. And it’s a real concern,” he said.
Border Patrol picks up a group of asylum seekers from an aid camp at the U.S.-Mexico border near Sasabe, Arizona, on Wednesday, March 13, 2024. (Justin Hamel/Getty Images)
Other concerns include littering throughout the village. The mayor also says a number of female residents have complained about how they are treated by the Mauritanians.
“If you’re going to let immigrants just come over freely, you’ve got to educate them on the cultural differences in how things operate here and make them understand that some of the things that maybe you’re used to in Mauritania [isn’t] necessarily acceptable here in the United States,” he said.
Ultimately, one of the biggest issues is numbers.
SWING STATE OFFICIAL WARNS VILLAGE STRUGGLING WITH FINANCIAL LOSSES AFTER INFLUX OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS
“A village of 1.2 square miles can just not absorb almost a doubling in their population. It’s unsustainable,” he said.
He argued that it is up to the federal government to help small communities and to direct migrants to communities, including those that are sanctuary communities.
Lockland’s case echoes towns and cities like Springfield, Ohio, which saw a surge in Haitian migration in recent years, and Charleroi, Pennsylvania, which has also been overwhelmed by Haitian migration.
Meanwhile, cities like Chicago and New York City have struggled to handle the waves of immigration they have seen move to their sanctuary jurisdictions as the border crisis has moved north.
HAITIAN MIGRATION ROILS TOWN IN KEY BATTLEGROUND STATE WITH SIGNS OF PRO-TRUMP SUPPORT ON THE RISE
Recently, officials and residents in Logansport, Indiana, say they have struggled with an influx of Haitians.
“And shame on the federal government for allowing this to happen to small communities like ours. It’s happening throughout the country,” Mason said.
“Pick a state, pick a small community, and you can read about it. It may not be Mauritanians, but immigration has affected small town USA. And it’s just not fair that this is dropped on local governments, local residents to have to deal with these situations,” he said.
Fox News’ Emma Woodhead contributed to this report.
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Indianapolis, IN
How frequent are 60-degree days in January for Indianapolis?
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Indianapolis will challenge 60 degrees multiple times to close this week. How frequent are 60-degree days in the month of January?
Over the last 5 years, Indianapolis has hit 60 degrees in January only twice. Bloomington did it four times in this same stretch.
Our last time hitting the 60-degree threshold in this month was in January 2023 in Indy. Temperature records for the city have been kept since 1872. On average, Indianapolis has around one day of making it to 60 degrees in January since record keeping began.
1880 is the year with the most January 60 degrees or higher days on record at 8 days. In 2017, Indianapolis had 4 days make it to the threshold. This is the last time we had multiple days in the 60s in January.
For the latest 7-day forecast, visit our weather blog by clicking here.
Cleveland, OH
East Cleveland City Schools celebrate ‘We are EC Day’ marking end of state oversight
EAST CLEVELAND, Ohio — Classes across East Cleveland City Schools were briefly interrupted on Wednesday for a celebration.
After nearly seven years of oversight from the state’s Academic Distress Commission, the district has officially been released and is once again fully in control of its operations.
“This isn’t a Cinderella story. This is a story of a community that decided that excellence is now the standard,” said East Cleveland City Schools Superintendent and CEO Dr. Henry Pettiegrew.
He said turnarounds don’t come easily.
“We scratch. We claw. We grind (and) we hustle to get what we need,” Pettiegrew said. “And this community deserves this recognition today. Our teachers have gotten stronger. Students are performing better. It’s really amazing where we are today.”
The state placed him in the district in 2019 with a clear mission— to improve a failing district and boost academics so all students can succeed.
In September, around the time state report cards were released, he told me the district was using data to drive decisions, providing better support to teachers and communicating more with families.
“We’re knocking on doors. We’re having those real conversations, and if parents or students need particular things, supports or items, we’re right there to help,” Pettiegrew explained then.
He said teachers, students, and families rose to the occasion, applying focus and dedication.
Students earned a four-star rating in the progress category and an overall three-star rating on the most recent state report card. For the first time in more than a decade, the district is meeting state standards.
The district also met 16 of the 20 academic benchmarks set by the state, leading to its release from oversight. On Wednesday, a video played across the district in every classroom for what it called “We Are EC Day: Three Stars and Rising.”
In the video, Pettiegrew thanked everyone for the progress made. Congratulations also poured in from community members, business leaders, and celebrities, including Cleveland Browns player Shelby Harris.
Each student received a special school hoodie representing the mantra “Three Stars and Rising.” Staff members got a similar jersey.
“Throughout history, we commemorate when wonderful things happen and East Cleveland is no different,” Pettiegrew said.
He added that the district can’t and won’t let up on its path to continued success.
Pettiegrew said the district will be focusing hard on improving literacy outcomes and graduation rates, among other priorities. He said the goal is to match, if not exceed, the results from the last state report card on the next one.
Here’s a link to the full video the district released.
Damon Maloney is a Cuyahoga County and We Follow Through anchor at News 5 Cleveland. Follow him on X @DMaloneyTV, on Facebook DamonMaloneyTV or email him at Damon.Maloney@wews.com.
Illinois
Illinois Democrats express outrage, seek full investigation into ICE fatal shooting of Minnesota woman
Illinois Democrats are demanding a full investigation into the death of a woman at the hands of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in Minneapolis, with some calling it a “murder” and an “execution.”
The woman was fatally shot Wednesday during a traffic stop in a residential neighborhood just south of downtown Minneapolis. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem called it “an act of domestic terrorism” by a woman who “attempted to run them over and rammed them with her vehicle.”
Noem said an officer “acted quickly and defensively, shot, to protect himself and the people around him.”
Videos taken by witnesses show an officer approaching an SUV stopped across the middle of the road, demanding the driver open the door and grabbing the handle. The Honda Pilot begins to pull forward and a different ICE officer standing in front of the vehicle pulls his weapon and immediately fires at least two shots into the vehicle at close range, jumping back as the vehicle moves toward him, according to the Associated Press. It’s unclear whether the vehicle made contact with the officer.
The woman, whose name wasn’t immediately released, is at least the fifth death linked to the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement operations. Silverio Villegas González died on Sept. 12 after being shot as he allegedly tried to flee from ICE agents in suburban Franklin Park. Body camera footage first obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times shows the federal agent telling local police he was “dragged a little bit.” Speaking over the radio, his partner relays the agent suffered “a left knee injury and some lacerations to his hands.”
Villegas González had no criminal history, but DHS has said he had “a history of reckless driving” and was in the country without legal status.
U.S. Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia said he is “heartbroken and outraged” by what he called a “murder.” U.S. Rep. Jonathan Jackson called it “an execution in our streets.”
“This tragedy occurred less than a mile from the hallowed ground where George Floyd was murdered during Donald Trump’s first term,” Jackson said in a statement. “It is a chilling and devastating reminder that the cycle of state-sanctioned violence against our communities has not only continued but has been weaponized under this administration’s ‘Operation Metro Surge.’”
Sen. Tammy Duckworth is calling for an immediate investigation into the ICE officer who fired the shot. She wrote on X, “ICE is clearly not making us safer. This needs to stop.” And Sen. Dick Durbin called the death “tragic, heartbreaking and enraging” but urged protesters to “remain peaceful.”
“A full investigation must be completed so the truth can be revealed,” Durbin said in a statement. “Video of the incident starkly contradicts DHS’s narrative, and the fact that DHS has jumped to characterize this shooting in ‘self-defense’ is rushed, at best, and a lie, at worst.”
Three top Democrats vying to replace Durbin in the March 17 primary all said they would push for answers about the death.
U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi said he will be “demanding full answers and accountability from the Trump administration” over a “horrific loss of life.”
“This is Donald Trump’s America: a woman is dead because ICE is operating with impunity in our neighborhoods,” Krishnamoorthi said in a statement. “…When federal agents are unleashed without restraint or oversight, the consequences are deadly — and the responsibility for this killing is on their hands.”
U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly evoked Villegas’ death in commenting on the Minnesota shooting.
“The city of Chicago knows all too well that DHS Secretary Kristi Noem only lies. After the deadly shooting of Silverio Villegas González during a traffic stop, Secretary Noem tried to hide the truth, but bodycam footage disproved injuries sustained by the ICE officer,” Kelly said. “The Minneapolis Mayor has already said that video disputes Secretary Noem’s claims. It’s clear that to achieve public safety, ICE must leave our cities immediately.”
Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton called the shooting “horrific.”
“Rejecting authoritarianism should not be a death sentence in the United States of America,” Stratton said. “We need answers and we need ICE out of our communities.”
Rep. Brad Schneider called the fatal shooting “a stain on our entire nation.”
“Sending strength to the Minneapolis community. Chicagoland knows all too well the trauma and terror Trump’s chaotic immigration operations bring to otherwise peaceful communities,” Schneider said. “Our President should be making America and Americans safer. He is failing.”
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