Ohio AG wants to curb influx of immigrants in Springfield

The attorney general of Ohio has launched a probe to discover whether he has any legal means of limiting the number of immigrants the federal government relocates to his state.

On Monday, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, a Republican, announced in a press release that his office would investigate whether he has any "legal avenues to stop the federal government from sending an unlimited number of migrants to Ohio communities," Springfield in particular.

Springfield has recently drawn national attention after up to 15,000 Haitian immigrants moved there and made the city "their new home," the city website says. Other reports put the number closer to 20,000.

While the city notes that most of these immigrants enjoy legal "temporary protected status" under the auspices of the federal Immigration Parole Program, some of the city's 60,000 local residents and others in nearby towns have complained about major disruptions to the local economy and threats to public safety as a result of the immigrants.

Yost's press release reiterated some of those complaints: "In addition to straining available resources, locals have complained of migrants causing car crashes, stealing property – including livestock, squatting in homes and killing wildlife for food."

Yost called the Biden-Harris administration's plans regarding immigrants "absurd."

"Springfield has swollen by more than a third due to migrants," he said in a statement. "How many people can they be expected to take? What are the limits to the federal government’s power? Could the federal government simply funnel into Ohio all the millions of migrants flooding in under the current administration’s watch?

"There’s got to be a limiting principle. We’re going to find a way to get this disaster in front of a federal judge."

Republican Lt. Gov. Jon Husted also drew attention to the issue, claiming on X that many of the Haitian immigrants have failed to assimilate and caused spikes in health care costs and in infectious diseases like tuberculosis.

"It doesn’t need to be done this way; it’s a choice made by the Biden administration," Husted wrote.

Republican Gov. Mike DeWine also expressed frustration. "The federal government does not have a plan to give any support to the communities impacted by surges, and we have absolutely no indication that a plan is coming in the near future," he said Tuesday.

Though the state executive Republicans stand in agreement that the massive waves of immigration in their state are a problem, they also reiterated that immigrants in general are not.

"Many local residents expressed compassion for the Haitian refugees, explaining that they understand that Haiti is a terrible place to live right now and they understood why they would want to come to America," Husted insisted. "But it was also abundantly clear that local officials and citizens have little recourse and need help."

"The problem is not migrants; it is way, way too many migrants in a short period of time," Yost claimed.

DeWine also said he does not oppose the Temporary Protected Status program, the AP reported, but wants the federal government to provide more assistance. In the meantime, he has earmarked $2.5 million over the next two years to buttress the county health department and other private health care clinics.

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