'It's out of control': Haitian problems in Springfield, Ohio, spill over to nearby small town

TREMONT CITY, Ohio — The small village of Tremont City on the outskirts of Springfield, Ohio, has not been spared the negative effects of over 20,000 Haitians arriving in the area under the Biden-Harris administration, and the growing problems are unsustainable, Tremont City leaders and locals told Blaze Media on Tuesday.

Springfield has been thrust into the national spotlight as residents have grown increasingly vocal about the problems Haitians, who now fall under Temporary Protected Status, have wrought on the town, from public safety concerns to housing issues.

The outrage reached a fever pitch after 11-year-old Aiden Clark was killed when a Haitian driver allegedly crashed into the school bus Aiden was riding on the first day of school in 2023. Dozens of children on the same bus were injured as well.

The tragedy affected the daughter of Mark Sanders. She saw the accident from another bus.

"[My daughter] sent a me a text that morning, showed a school bus on its top. The text said, 'Dad, there's been a wreck. It's not us. I'm fine. Love you.' She told her counselor later on, because she wouldn't get back on a bus, she didn't want to ride the bus any more. One of the things her counselor was able to share with us is, she said if I drove a bus it would make her feel better about getting back on the bus," he explained.

Sanders now drives a school bus for the district to put his daughter at ease.

"There are things that can be prevented. That guy should not have been in the country. He shouldn't have been driving. He was working for a company, local, that was actually supplied to them," Sanders said.

One of the most prevalent issues has been Haitians driving unsafely, usually without a license. Tony Flood, the president of the Tremont City Council, said many Haitians drive through his town to get to their jobs. As a result, the town has seen a dramatic rise in accidents and unsafe driving.

Unlike Springfield, Tremont City tows vehicles belonging to Haitians who are pulled over for unsafe driving and do not have a license "because you're not allowed to let an unlicensed driver drive the car, or the village is liable if they get in a wreck," Flood said.

"This subject has been brought up to [Springfield] many times. ... The city refuses to do that. This is spilling out. They do illegal U-turns all up and down the road. I don't know how many times I've about got hit pulling out of the lot myself," Flood added.

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Beyond that, Flood said, it is not uncommon to see someone drive on the wrong side of the road: "This is not London, England. We drive on the right side of the road."

'[Locals] can't tolerate the attitudes, OK, the pushiness, the inappropriate behavior of the migrants that are in these stores; nobody feels safe.'

Sanders revealed he had been hit from behind by a Haitian driver. While the accident totaled the Haitian's car, it just "scratch[ed] the rust off" the hitch of his truck, Sanders claimed.

Due to Springfield not towing cars of reckless drivers, Sanders said he believe there has been a "stand-down order" from the city to make Springfield seem more accommodating to Haitians.

"The accidents we're having around here can be prevented if everybody would get on the same page, all law enforcement, and start towing these vehicles. I know it seems like we're singling people out, but we do it the same no matter what race, nationality, creed, doesn't matter," Tremont City Police Chief Chad Duncan said.

Flood's son, who is the mayor of Tremont City, said he is "scared to death" of one day getting the news something has happened to his wife or daughter because they work in downtown Springfield.

"Any day you get in a car, it's a risk. But now it's even worse, especially if you head that way," Tony Flood II said. "Honestly, it pisses me off that we've allowed it to hit this point."

As a result of the high number of accidents in the area, his insurance rate was raised 38%, the younger Flood claimed. It is not uncommon for the men to have motorcycles, he added, but these days that is too much of a risk. Flood II said he doesn't ride his motorcycle any more.

The higher risk of road accidents is just one of the reasons residents of Tremont City no longer go to Springfield to shop at the Kroger or Walmart, the elder Flood told Blaze News. Haitians' attitude and behavior towards locals, particularly woman, has been another source of safety concerns.

"[Locals] can't tolerate the attitudes, OK, the pushiness, the inappropriate behavior of the migrants that are in these stores; nobody feels safe," the elder Flood said. "It's out of control."

"We're not against any people. We're against acts and actions and the repercussions of those actions. The people who have been screaming the loudest have been affected the least," Sanders noted.

The Springfield Police Department and the city manager's office both declined a request for comment from Blaze News.

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