Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost has launched an investigation to explore legal options for curbing the federal government’s relocation of immigrants to Springfield. The city has seen an influx of up to 20,000 Haitian immigrants, which has led to rising concerns among residents about crime, strained resources, and public safety.
Yost criticized the Biden-Harris administration’s handling of immigration, calling it “absurd” that Springfield has grown by more than a third in a short period of time. The attorney general’s office is now looking for legal avenues to challenge the federal government’s authority in relocating large numbers of immigrants to Ohio communities.
Lt. Gov. Jon Husted also expressed concern, pointing to increased health care costs and a rise in tuberculosis cases. Husted placed the blame squarely on the Biden administration, calling the current situation a “choice” made by federal leaders.
Gov. Mike DeWine, while supportive of the Temporary Protected Status program that grants immigrants legal standing, expressed frustration over the lack of federal assistance for local communities dealing with these surges. DeWine has allocated $2.5 million to support local health care providers in Springfield and other affected areas.
Yost and other Ohio leaders have emphasized that the issue is not with the immigrants themselves, but with the overwhelming number of people arriving in a short period of time, which has severely strained the community’s resources.
