With the influx of Haitians in Springfield, Ohio, in the spotlight again thanks to Tuesday night’s presidential debate, much of the focus has been on Trump’s claim that the migrants are eating people's pets. And while the finer points of the veracity of this claim are being debated, it’s important to not to overlook the fact that the flood of migrants has wreaked havoc on the town in a very real way, and it cost a 71-year-old woman her life.
The beloved grandmother, Kathy Heaton, was reportedly bringing in her garbage from the driveway when the migrant, who was said to be “driving recklessly,” struck her with a car, killing her instantly. The driver, 38-year-old Robenson Louis, was not injured.
Her family noted that they observed numerous incidents of reckless driving and a complete disregard for traffic laws by some of the Haitian migrants in their area in the months before the accident.
“We have unfortunately seen countless vehicle crashes in our area involving people of Haitian descent,” they stated, and their claim has been backed up by other area residents who have similar concerns and video footage depicting some of these incidents.
Some have said that the reckless driving situation has gotten so out of control since Haitians flooded into the area that it has led everyone's insurance rates to rise dramatically.
One resident told the media: “We have maybe 3-4 (crashes) a day, every day. The Haitians. That’s not even Americans; that’s Haitians. Our insurance rates have gone sky high because of it, because of our zip code.”
“This one lady that’s in our group – they ran into her garage and killed her animals. Demolished her garage; he had no insurance, he was drunk.”
Biden-Harris open border policy to blame
Residents have the Biden-Harris administration's open border policy to thank for the current state of affairs. It has brought a surge of roughly 20,000 migrants to their town of just 58,000, placing the area's public services under immense pressure and spurring a housing crisis.
Another area resident, Diana Daniels, recently told Fox & Friends how life there has changed since Haitians were transported there and how the influx has compromised public safety, likening it to “living in a dystopian nightmare.”
She explained: “It's hard sometimes to get up in the morning and hear residents that I've known for years struggle. This is a paycheck-to-paycheck… kind of town… working class. The citizens that depend on our social services like health care, the Rocking Horse [Community Health Center], going down to the Social Security office for benefits are waiting in line, and they're not getting the services they need."
She said that she has been attending City Commission meetings in hopes of improving the situation. She also pointed to President Trump’s mention of the city’s decline during the debate on Tuesday night when the topic turned to the Biden-Harris administration’s border policy.
Another Springfield resident, 28-year-old Anthony Harris, said: "These Haitians are running into trash cans. They're running into buildings. They're flipping cars in the middle of the street, and I don't know how like, y'all can be comfortable with this."
Residents who complain accused of racism
Not surprisingly, many of the residents who are begging the city for help have been accused by some leaders of racism. However, the problem is largely cultural, with Haiti being known for being the 20th deadliest country in the world, with a high rate of homicides, poverty, and STDs, and a very low average IQ.
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced this week that he will be sending resources to help ease the situation, vowing to send $2.5 million over two years to the county’s health department and other healthcare centers grappling with the influx. He also promised more resources for area law enforcement.
However, this won’t do much to help Heaton, her family and the countless others who have already suffered as a result of the influx.
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