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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UIC College of Nursing students celebrate graduating in Springfield
Watch as students from the University of Illinois Chicago celebrate graduating from nursing school in Springfield with a decades-old tradition.
The Illinois Product Farmers Market is set to open for the 19th season, offering locally grown food, entertainment and activities for families.
The market will run from 3:30 to 7 p.m. every Thursday from May 7 to Sept. 24, excluding Aug. 13, 20 and 27, at The Shed on the Illinois State Fairgrounds, 801 Sangamon Ave., Springfield, according to a community announcement.
A variety of vendors will offer fresh produce, meats, baked goods and other products processed, produced or packaged in Illinois.
The market is presented by the Illinois Department of Agriculture in partnership with several sponsors, including the Illinois Grape Growers and Vintners Association, Lincoln Land Community College and Springfield Clinic.
Opening day will feature food and activities for families
Opening day will feature several food options, including barbecue from Nuthatch Hill BBQ, burgers from Edinburgers and mini donuts from Johnnie O’s Mini Donuts.
Family-friendly activities will include a Touch-A-Truck event, free balloon animals, face painting, yard games and a visit from the Springfield Art Association Make Truck.
Live music will be provided by Not Petty, and prize drawings will be held throughout the event.
Each visitor will receive a free reusable Illinois Product Market bag, and the Illinois Product Buy Local Prize Wheel will offer a chance to win prizes from Skateland, Happy Hour Pilates, the Aberham Lincoln Presidential Museum, HyVee, Illinois wineries and more.
Market offers LINK match program and weekly raffles
The market will offer a LINK match program. According to the announcement, for every dollar spent using LINK, customers will receive an additional dollar in LINK match to spend on fruits and vegetables.
Weekly raffles will offer $10 in “MarketCash” and an Illinois Product Basket.
Vendor space is still available
Space is still available for vendors interested in participating in the 2026 market. Those interested can contact the Illinois Department of Agriculture at agr.farmersmarket@illinois.gov.
This story was created with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more at https://cm.usatoday.com/ethical-conduct/.
PLAINFIELD — Light spills from a window above a wooden fixture of the crucifixion at Saint Susanna Catholic Church as parishioners weave through the pews at the close of the 11 a.m. mass on a recent Sunday.
Most leave, but some stick around for coffee and doughnuts, a fundraising effort for the church’s prison ministry, which provides rosaries, Bibles and faith study materials to inmates at the Hendricks County Jail. In the hallway are stacks of letters to U.S. Sen. Jim Banks, Sen. Todd Young and Rep. Jim Baird, urging them to support programs to reduce hunger at home and abroad.
“Cuts to SNAP and international assistance have already put millions at risk,” the letter reads, citing Jesus’ refusal to turn a hungry crowd away in the Bible verse Matthew 14:16. “We can and must do better.”
Those cuts have been hallmarks of President Donald Trump’s administration, which has taken a less generous, and at times adversarial, approach to those in need globally as it looks to reduce spending. The strategy has contributed to a larger tension between Catholicism and the president; at the helm of this opposition is Pope Leo XIV, the first American-born pope, whose criticisms of the war in Iran have increasingly landed him in Trump’s crosshairs.
But Catholics across the nation, including at Saint Susanna, told USAToday and IndyStar that they favor the pope’s approach.
“He has done it elegantly, but yet very stern,” Eloisa Garza, who helps run the prison ministry, said of Pope Leo after mass at Saint Susanna on April 26. “Being an American, which we are Americans, that’s what sometimes other countries look at us to do as leaders.”
Garza, 70, said she appreciates that Pope Leo has the courage to speak when the world needs a powerful voice rooted in faith. His role as the first American-born pope only adds to the impact, she said.
She runs the prison ministry along with Harla Lyle, 84, who also commended the pope for his “quiet, serene composure.”
Even when in conflict with some world leaders, Lyle said, Pope Leo sticks to faith.
“I think that he really is a symbol,” she said.
The trust in Pope Leo comes as the pontiff fields blistering attacks from Trump. After the pope called Trump’s threat of annihilation in Iran “unacceptable,” the president fired back that Pope Leo was “weak on crime.”
The tension between the two men is sometimes amplified by Vice President J.D. Vance, a Catholic himself who has openly disagreed with the pope and warned him to be “be careful” when discussing theology.
American Catholics have largely backed the pope in the past, and the broader public has continued to view the pope favorably. More than two-thirds of U.S. voters who are Catholic said they view the pope favorably, according to a November 2025 poll. Three-fifths of Americans in general view the pope in a positive light, too, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found in April.
Chicago native John Paloma, who now lives in Camby, Indiana, said he used to live “down the road” from where the pope grew up. Paloma said he appreciated that the pope has not engaged in extended battles with those who criticize him.
“There might be some controversy, but as long as he keeps to the faith, what could you say?” he said, sitting at a table after mass with fellow parishioners. “My hope is still high.”
Bob Duty, an 84-year-old man sitting with Paloma, shared a similarly positive view.
“I like the pope,” Duty told IndyStar. “He’s from America.”
Contact breaking politics reporter Marissa Meador at mmeador@indystar.com or find her on X at @marissa_meador.
Democrats are banking on a high-stakes, long-shot win in Iowa.
The Hawkeye State voted for President Donald Trump by 13 points in 2024 and hasn’t elected a Democrat to the Senate since 2008. Still, Democrats are optimistic that a perfect storm of soaring gas and healthcare costs, tariffs and an unpopular president could help them flip the Senate seat blue.
But Democrats first must get through a contentious June 2 primary between state Sen. Zach Wahls and state Rep. Josh Turek before they can even turn their attention to the presumptive GOP nominee, Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-Iowa).
The clash is a microcosm of the establishment moderate-versus-progressive insurgent battle raging within the Democratic Party, an ideological tussle that could cost them in November.
Wahls, a more left-wing candidate backed by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), has made opposition to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer a major part of his message.
“When I’m doing my stump speech and tell people that on the first day of this campaign, I made a promise not to support Chuck Schumer for leader, the room — without any explanation — just spontaneously bursts into applause,” Wahls said in an interview.
Turek, who flipped a GOP-held Iowa Senate seat blue in 2022 and is the favored pick of Schumer’s allies, says Wahls is focused on the wrong issues.
“Wahls is out here running against Schumer. I’m out here running against Donald Trump and Ashley Hinson,” Turek declared. “In the thousands of doors that I’ve knocked, I’ve never heard a single Iowan talk to me about minority leadership.”
Wahls and Turek face off in the first head-to-head primary debate tonight. Warren is stumping for Wahls in Des Moines on May 10.
Some ad news. Outside groups are taking notice — and spending big. VoteVets is dropping another $800,000 on a pro-Turek ad buy starting Tuesday. The group, dedicated to electing Democrats with military service, has spent $6.7 million boosting Turek to date. In the new spot, a retired Army National Guard colonel says Turek will root out corruption and oppose Trump.
We’ll note Turek isn’t a veteran. But Turek’s father served in Vietnam, and his exposure to Agent Orange while serving contributed to Turek’s being born with spina bifida.
VoteVets first started spending for Turek on March 24.
Electability squabbles. In conversations with the Iowa Democratic hopefuls, both candidates insist they’re the only person who can beat Hinson in the fall.
“Zach comes from the bluest district in the state, a [Kamala] Harris +38 district. He’s never even run against a Republican,” Turek said. “This isn’t the time to be experimenting.”
Wahls countered that his record of opposing Democratic leadership will resonate with disaffected voters of all stripes.
“It is easier to draw that contrast [with Hinson] if you can tell people that you don’t owe Chuck Schumer a damn thing and that you don’t care about party bosses in either party,” Wahls said. “We can draw that contrast much, much more effectively than Josh can.”
Turek said he didn’t know if he would vote for Schumer as leader if elected.
“I need to get up there. I’m not measuring the drapes first,” Turek said.
State of play. Despite Iowa’s recent red tilt, Turek and Wahls argue that because the state’s farm industry has been hit hard by Trump’s tariffs and higher gas prices, the president is no longer popular among Iowans.
Democrats are also optimistic that gubernatorial candidate Rob Sand will provide a lift to the rest of the ticket. Sand, the state auditor, is running a well-received campaign and is polling competitively with the GOP frontrunner, Rep. Randy Feenstra.
Iowa is a reach state for Democrats and exists outside of the core Senate map for the party. But in a blue wave environment where control of the chamber is in play, Democratic wins in states like Iowa could help push the party to the 51 seats needed to win a majority.
GOP view. Hinson has boosted Wahls by labeling him the “soon-to-be Democrat nominee” in social media posts. It’s a sign that some Iowa Republicans view Wahls as the more preferable general election candidate.
“With momentum building behind Wahls, time will tell if Schumer can carry his candidate across the finish line,” NRSC spokesperson Samantha Cantrell said in a statement.
Republicans are gleeful at the spate of competitive primaries dividing Democrats in key states. After the Maine primary where progressives came out on top, there are also Schumer-skeptical liberals running in Minnesota and Michigan.
Opposing Schumer may appeal to some Democratic primary voters, but the sentiment doesn’t directly impact his standing as leader. As long as Senate Democrats win the races they need to win in November, the New York Democrat is unlikely to be challenged for his job.
Happening today. Voters in Ohio and Indiana head to the ballot box for primary day.
Republicans will decide their candidate to face Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur. Derek Merrin is the favorite against state Rep. Josh Williams and former ICE official Madison Sheahan. This is a rightward-shifting district.
Air Force veteran Eric Conroy is favored to take on Democratic Rep. Greg Landsman.
Indiana. There aren’t any steeply competitive primaries in any battleground seats in Indiana. The one to watch is Indiana’s 1st District, where Republicans have an outside chance to knock off Democratic Rep. Frank Mrvan. Republicans are excited by Barb Regnitz.
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