Midwest
Biden-Harris border crisis slams Ohio town. Here's how state can fight back
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Rural America is enduring some of the most devastating consequences of Biden’s border crisis. Springfield, Ohio – a small town of roughly 60,000 residents west of Columbus – is the latest example. Under President Biden’s leadership nearly 20,000 Haitians have resettled there. Now, the community is facing an emergency housing crisis.
On July 8, Springfield City Manager Bryan Heck sent a letter to Sens. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, and Tim Scott, R-S.C. – chairman and ranking member, respectively, of the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs – alerting them to this crisis.
According to Heck, these Haitians have been resettled in the U.S. because of Biden’s parole program, which is supposed to be sparingly used, temporary and “only on a case-by-case basis for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit.”
President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on the Truman Balcony of the White House on July 4, 2024. (Tierney L. Cross/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Springfield has experienced a 33% increase in their population since Biden took office because of the surge of illegal aliens crossing our border. In comparison, from 2010 to 2020, Ohio’s population rose 2.3%, and Clark County’s population – where Springfield is located – decreased 1.7%.
HARRIS FAILED TO COMBAT ‘ROOT CAUSES’ OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION, FORMER BORDER PATROL UNION CHIEF SAYS
Setting aside concerns about crime and space in schools, a large and rapid increase in population for a midsize town can be ruinous for its residents, especially when affordable housing is already an issue for Americans nationwide.
Biden’s inflationary economic policies have made owning a home more difficult across the country, but his open border had only exacerbated the housing crisis, especially in places like Springfield.
In addition to competing for housing with millions of illegal aliens, Americans’ taxes are also directed to help immigrants with housing. For example, Michigan provides aliens a “newcomer rental subsidy” so they may afford housing. At a time when Americans are struggling financially, the politicians are putting illegal aliens first.
Thankfully, states like Ohio can fight back by enacting laws that make it more difficult for illegal aliens to reside in the state. While some commentators think that Ohio’s rural counties need more immigration, residents in Springfield and across the state can and should request that their politicians develop more responsible policies to protect their state.
VULNERABLE DEM SENATOR HIT WITH IMMIGRATION AD TYING HIS POLICIES TO HIS ‘NEW FRIEND’ KAMALA HARRIS
First, Ohio currently does not require use of the E-Verify system, nor does it have a law targeting employers’ business licenses for violating state immigration laws. Developing policies to require E-Verify and suspending business licenses work in tandem and would be a strategic first step since most illegal aliens come to the U.S. for economic opportunities.
Second, Ohio should adopt policies specifically prohibiting sanctuary jurisdictions. Ohio currently has two sanctuary jurisdictions – Hamilton County and Franklin County. Sanctuary jurisdictions are a threat to public safety because they protect criminal aliens by not communicating or cooperating with ICE.
Sanctuary jurisdictions also facilitate illegal aliens’ prolonged residence within the jurisdiction, which provides aliens more time to work, send money to their home country, and receive downstream benefits and equities here in the U.S., which aliens use as a shield against deportation. Mississippi has passed model legislation prohibiting sanctuary jurisdictions for illegal aliens in their state.
Third, Ohio does not currently have explicit laws prohibiting illegal aliens from receiving downstream benefits such as driver’s licenses, license plates, or business, commercial, and professional licenses. Complete proof of an alien’s legal status should be presented before obtaining any license. Creating laws with explicit language, like Alabama has done, is necessary to prevent any implications or ambiguity in the law.
FOREIGN-BORN POPULATION SHATTERS US RECORD AS ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION GOES UNCHECKED: STUDY
Fourth, Ohio should revise their definition of a state resident. Currently, Ohio defines “resident” as “an individual who is domiciled in this state.” The definition should include that state residents are U.S. citizens and lawful immigrants.
Fifth, Ohio should prohibit non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from obtaining or keeping state and local business licenses, contracts, and grants if they transport or assist with the facilitation of illegal alien smuggling.
NGOs, including faith-based organizations, have received billions of dollars to facilitate Biden’s mass illegal immigration crisis. While NGOs claim they are helping vulnerable populations, they are really participating in a global human-smuggling operation.
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The past three and a half years have seen a growing trend of states passing immigration legislation and joining lawsuits against the Biden administration’s open border agenda. Like other states, Ohio can take more control of preventing illegal immigration within its own state borders to protect Ohioans from the physical and economic adverse effects of mass illegal immigration.
Springfield’s suffering shouldn’t go unnoticed. If conservatives in Ohio and other states make proactive changes today, they can prevent crises tomorrow.
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Midwest
‘Squad’ member claims State of the Union guest was arrested
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Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., says her guest at President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address was forcibly removed and arrested by Capitol Police on Tuesday night.
Omar cited “reports” claiming that software engineer Aliya Rahman was “aggressively handled” as she was forcibly removed from the chamber during Trump’s speech. Omar invited Rahman after she had an altercation with federal agents in Minnesota during “Operation Metro Surge” in January.
“My guest, Aliya Rahman, stood up silently in the gallery during the president’s speech for a short period of time, part of which other guests were also standing. For that, she was forcibly removed, despite warning officers about her injured shoulders and ultimately charged with ‘Unlawful Conduct,’” Omar wrote in a statement.
“Reports indicate she was aggressively handled until someone intervened to secure medical attention. She was taken to George Washington University Hospital for treatment and later booked at the United States Capitol Police headquarters,” she continued.
Rep. Ilhan Omar says her guest to Trump’s State of the Union address was arrested. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds / AFP via Getty Images)
“The heavy-handed response to a peaceful guest sends a chilling message about the state of our democracy. I am calling for a full explanation of why this arrest occurred,” she added.
Fox News reached out to Capitol Police, but they did not immediately respond.
The charge Omar said Rahman faces exposes her to a possible sentence of six months in prison and a fine of up to $500.
“There are only two things you can do at the State of the Union, and they are sit down and stand up,” Rahman told Democracy Now. “I was arrested for standing up.”
ILHAN OMAR DOESN’T HAVE ANY REGRETS FOR HER ”UNAVOIDABLE’ OUTBURST AT STATE OF THE UNION
Aliya Rahman, a guest of Rep. Ilhan Omar, D- MN, and a Minneapolis resident who was detained by DHS agents, is escorted from the chamber as Trump delivers his State of the Union address during a Joint Session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol on February 24, 2026, in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
The incident comes after Trump deployed border czar Tom Homan to Minneapolis last month after several violent and even deadly interactions between anti-ICE agitators and federal law enforcement.
Homan announced the end of “Operation Metro Surge” earlier this month, saying it was no longer necessary thanks to new cooperation from local law enforcement.
“As a result of our efforts here, Minnesota is now less of a sanctuary state for criminals,” Homan said Feb. 12.
White House border czar Tom Homan attends a press conference in Minneapolis, Minn., Jan. 29, 2026. (Shannon Stapleton/Reuters)
Homan clarified that a “small footprint of personnel” would remain for a period of time, and he also remains in Minnesota monitoring the drawdown process.
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“Additionally, federal government personnel assigned to conduct criminal investigations into the agitators, as well as the personnel assigned here for the fraud investigations, will remain in place until the work is done,” Homan said at the time.
Fox News’ Stephen Sorace contributed to this report.
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Detroit, MI
Detroit’s Sloppy Chops restaurateur Mike Brown fatally shot, 2 injured
When to call 911 and when to use non-emergency lines
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Detroit restaurateur and nightlife mainstay Michael “Mike B.” Brown was fatally shot early Saturday morning on the city’s west side, a violent incident that also left two other people injured and sent shockwaves through Detroit’s hospitality and entertainment communities.
According to Detroit police, the shooting occurred outside Suite 100, a cocktail bar on Schaefer Highway near Puritan Avenue. Investigators are urging anyone with information to come forward. As of Sunday afternoon, authorities had not announced any suspects or arrests.
“At approximately 4:30 a.m., Saturday, there was a triple shooting that occurred at 15789 Schaefer,” Detroit Police Department (DPD) media relations manager Jasmin Barmore wrote in an official statement Sunday afternoon. “Two of the vicims were found in front of the location and the third across the street from the location. Unfortunately, the victim found across the street from the location, Mikey Brown, succumbed to his injuries.
“The Detroit Police Department extends their condolences to the family and is asking the community for assistance with this incident. Anyone with information about this incident is asked to please contact DPD’s homicide unit or, they can submit an anonymous tip through Crime Stoppers or Detroit Rewards TV.”
Brown, 52, had spent decades building a name for himself across Detroit’s club and restaurant circuits, evolving from party promoter to business owner and, in recent years, a culinary entrepreneur with expanding ambitions. His death comes at a moment when he had been working to grow his “Sloppy” restaurant brand – a move that aligned with the rise of new Black-owned establishments reshaping the city’s dining landscape.
His first major restaurant venture, Sloppy Chops, opened in 2020 on West McNichols just off the Lodge Freeway. The steakhouse featured high-end cuts like ribeyes and tomahawks, but it quickly drew wide attention for its low-cost lamb chop specials – a dish with a fervent local following and long-standing ties to the city’s food culture.
A year later, Brown launched Sloppy Crab, later renamed the Crab Sports Bar, on East Jefferson Avenue near the Renaissance Center. The seafood spot mixed Detroiters’ love for crab dishes with the energetic, nightlife-forward atmosphere Brown had refined during his years in the entertainment scene. Occasional cover charges, signature strong cocktails and celebrity drop-ins helped make the venue one of downtown’s most animated destinations, placing it alongside longstanding nightlife pillars such as Floods Bar & Grille and Sweetwater Tavern.
Both restaurants emerged during a period when Detroiters were increasingly vocal about who new development served. Sloppy Crab’s proximity to the riverfront offered an answer to residents who wondered where Black diners fit into the city’s transforming downtown, while Sloppy Chops demonstrated that restaurants with the energy and polish of downtown destinations could thrive in the neighborhoods as well.
As of Sunday afternoon, more than 1,000 comments expressing sadness and shock had flooded a pinned post on Brown’s Instagram page, along with a number of posts on his Facebook profile.
On her own page, Darralynn Hutson, an award-winning journalist, author, documentarian and media strategist who has provided content to a host of media outlets including the Detroit Free Press, shared photos of herself with Brown.
“I had the opportunity to interview Mike a few years ago for a feature in Food & Wine and I remember how reluctant he was about sitting down to talk,” Hutson recalled. “Interviews weren’t his thing – he was much more comfortable building than explaining. I had to call him more than 20 times to set up the interview. He didn’t care about Food & Wine. But once we ate and got into conversation, what came out was his commitment to creating something for his Detroit.”
Brown’s influence stretched far beyond his menus. His establishments became recognizable gathering places, and his presence – familiar from downtown corridors to Dexter Avenue – made him a significant cultural figure in Detroit’s nightlife and, later, its dining renaissance.
His death leaves both industries mourning a personality whose ambitions were still growing, and whose imprint on the city’s social fabric remains unmistakable.
Milwaukee, WI
Four new community-powered fridges open on Milwaukee’s North Side
Community members and city leaders celebrated the opening of four new community-powered fridges on the North Side of Milwaukee. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on Friday, Feb. 27, at Metcalfe Park Community Bridges, 3624 W. North Ave., to mark the occasion.
The effort to fight food scarcity by opening community-powered fridges comes after several grocery stores closed in the area, creating a food desert.
District 15 Ald. Russell W. Stamper II, who saw several grocery stores in his district close over the past few years, served as the event’s emcee.
“We could either complain about the problem, or we could come together to find a solution,” Stamper said.
In July 2025, a Pick ‘n Save on the North Side closed, prompting the opening of a community-powered fridge at Tricklebee Café in the Sherman Park and Uptown area. Since then, several other grocery stores have closed in the area.
This led Stamper, FEED MKE, Metcalfe Park Community Bridges and One MKE to open four more community-powered fridges.
Christie Melby-Gibbons, executive director of Tricklebee Café, talked about the organization’s community-powered fridge. About a week ago, the fridge was empty for the first time since its launch, so staff turned to their online community for support.
“Within 20 minutes, a woman came in with bags of food and filled the fridge for less than $100,” Melby-Gibbons said.
The community-powered fridge network is run by residents on a take-what-you-need, leave-what-you-can model. Taking a grassroots approach to solving food insecurity in the area, community members provide fresh produce and other healthy food options to ensure that their neighbors have access to nutritious foods.
“Everybody deserves to eat. I can’t go to sleep at night knowing my neighbors are hungry,” said Melody McCurtis, deputy director of Metcalfe Park Community Bridges.
Here’s a list of all the community-powered fridges:
Metcalfe Park Community Bridges
3624 W. North Ave.
Rooted & Rising- Washington Park
3940 W. Lisbon Ave.
Sherman Park Community Association
3526 W. Fond du Lac Ave.
Dominican Center
2470 W. Locust St.
Tricklebee Café
4424 W. North Ave.
Jonathan Aguilar is a visual journalist at Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service who is supported through a partnership between CatchLight Local and Report for America.
This article first appeared on Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
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