What's next for Springfield? Challenges remain, but so does optimism for future
DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) — After being thrust into the national spotlight during the 2024 presidential debate, the City of Springfield has continued its efforts to address concerns exacerbated by the influx of nearly 20,000 Haitian migrants.
What's next for the city?
That question echoes throughout the streets and homes of Springfield. The city says they're looking at ways to continue move forward, together.
City manager Bryan Heck is at the forefront, coming up with solutions for the city, alongside the mayor and city commission.
'We want to be able to create an environment where people feel empowered and that they can thrive,' he said.
Heck said it's been an uphill journey getting to this point, battling the rapid population growth and political spotlight. He believes one of the most important steps is through investment and job opportunities.
'Any community, when you grow your population by 15,000 people, you're going to put strain on some of those systems,' he said.
Previous coverage of Springfield's time in the national spotlight
As of right now, the city has no plans to add any additional tax levies to the ballot to increase revenue for the growing population.
The city said it continues to use existing tax dollars to create a better city for all. They said they're not specifically diverting funds to migrants.
City leaders and residents agreed that the strain put on the region's systems – including public health and hospitals, education and law enforcement – has led to tension in the community.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine wants to help Springfield solve those issues.
'We as a state, we welcome people who want to work,' said DeWine. 'We welcome people who want to raise a family, be a part of a community.'
It's a message for longtime residents of Springfield as well as the city's Haitian community, some of whom report being the victims of intimidation from hate groups.
'Springfield is beautiful and Springfield is a welcoming community, per se,' said Viles Dorsainvil with the Haitian Resource Center. 'But, you know, it comes with all those challenges.
'In a perfect world, Springfield would have been home for not only the residents, but the strangers as well.'
The city has seen an increase in population, but also an increase in resilience. Local leaders are working to cut through the turmoil of recent months, while acknowledging the past.
Their biggest message: they're excited for what's yet to come.
'It's understanding we have a rich history, we have a deep history, and we need to be able to appreciate the past,' said Heck, 'but we need to embrace the future of what we're doing in our community.'
Springfield Mayor Rob Rue, Springfield City Schools Supt. Dr. Robert Hill and Springfield Police Division Chief Allison Elliott declined requests for interviews for this series.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
As new U.S. travel ban arrives, some Canadian dual nationals are worried
Christian Kodia is accustomed to visiting the United States on a weekly basis, but with a new travel ban coming into effect on Monday, he's not sure if that will continue. Kodia is a dual national with citizenship from both Canada and the Republic of Congo, one of 12 states whose citizens U.S. President Donald Trump has now banned from entering that country. "I travel to the United States of America, I would say, every weekend. I go to visit my family, I go for business, I go for friends," said Kodia, president of the Congolese-Brazzaville Community of Ottawa-Gatineau. Even though Kodia has a Canadian passport, he's unsure of what kind of welcome to expect from U.S. customs. "It's going to be difficult," he told Radio-Canada, predicting that the ban would have a "huge, negative impact" for many people. Citing national security, Trump said Thursday his administration would block entry for citizens of Afghanistan, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Myanmar, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. Trump also announced restrictions to limit the entry of nationals of seven other countries: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela. In the case of the Republic of Congo, Trump cited high rates of overstaying among citizens visiting the United States: 29.6 per cent of those on temporary business or tourism visas, and 35 per cent of students and exchange visitors. For other countries he cited links to terrorism, failure to accept deportees or a lack of central authority as justification for barring their citizens. "If we had a government, a strong one, one that we elected, they [would] be able to deal with [Trump]," said Darlène Lozis, a Haitian community organizer in Gatineau, Que. Lozis said with much of her home country controlled by armed gangs, she doesn't think Haiti's government will be able to advocate for the rights of its citizens. "Whatever we do won't change anything. That man is a fool," she said, referring to Trump. "He will continue doing and saying whatever he wants." Dual nationals like Kodia are now trying to establish whether they can still legally enter with their Canadian passports. But Ottawa immigration lawyer Betsy Kane suggests that given the potential risks,"it's not even about what's legal." Kane said she's asking her business clients whether it's worth risking the well-being of their staff by sending them to the United States, especially if they are dual nationals from one of the banned countries. "It's about putting yourself in the lion's den," said Kane, stressing that she's not a U.S. immigration specialist. U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents have wide discretion whether to admit travellers to the United States — even if they have a valid visa. They also have the power to detain people for questioning and to search their electronic devices. In April, Global Affairs Canada updated its travel advisory for the United States, warning Canadians to "expect scrutiny," which could include those devices. It also warned that Canadians denied entry could be detained while awaiting deportation. In an interview with the Canadian Press on Friday, U.S. Ambassador Pete Hoekstra said if a Canadian faced device searches, or detainment at the border, it was "an isolated event" and "not a pattern."
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
‘Haiti don't deserve that,' local man worries about hometown amid President Trump's travel ban
ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — A Rockford man expressed his personal concerns with President Trump's travel ban on 12 countries. One of the countries impacted is Haiti, where James Casimir was born. Casimir said he moved to Rockford in 1994 for a better life and because of a political downfall in the country, but his family still lives in Haiti. 'I love Haiti, and I love to live there,' Casimir said. 'I always go back to Haiti twice a year. I have brothers and sisters, my mom is here, but all my family, nieces and cousins, people I grew up with are still over there.' Casimir said his house is in Port-au-Prince and his friend is living in it. Within the last two months, Casimir said gangs have taken over the neighborhood, forcing his friends and family members to live on the street. Between this and President Trump's travel ban, Casimir said he doesn't think he'll be able to see them for a long time. 'It's going to affect everybody,' Casimir said. 'A lot of Haitian who been here, they got their green card, got their Haitian passport. They need to go back to their country, see their family and come back. There's a problem.' Chris Weickert is the Executive Director for Hope for Haitians, a Rockford-based organization that provides services to people in Haiti. Weickert said it will be difficult to get work done with the ban. 'Not being able to have our country director, who is a native Haitian physician down there, come into the country and do those meetings will be difficult,' Weickert said. 'It's a very unhelpful thing to do to one of our closest neighbors that has the greatest needs.' Casimir said he hopes the ban will be over sooner rather than later. 'I hope it ends today,' Casimir said. 'This come right now about President Trump is very bad for the country. I know Haiti is bad. I know Haiti has terrorist people, but Haiti not a terrorist country. Haiti don't deserve that. It is unclear how long the travel ban will last, but Weickert said he plans to continue supporting the people of Haiti in any way he can. Hope for Haitians will be having its 23rd annual 'Evening in the Tropics' fundraising event on August 23 at Prairie Street Brewing Co. to raise money to create a new village in Haiti. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Boston Globe
6 hours ago
- Boston Globe
Some visitors report extra scrutiny at US airports as Trump's new travel ban begins
'They asked us where we work, how many children we have, if we have had any problems with the law, how we are going to afford the cost of this travel, how many days we will stay here,' said Aguilar, who along with her husband was visiting their son for the first time since he left Guatemala 22 years ago. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up She said they were released about an hour after their flight landed, greeting their waiting family members in Florida with tears of relief. Guatemala is not among the countries included in the new ban or flagged for extra travel restrictions. Advertisement The new proclamation that Trump signed last week applies to citizens of Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. It also imposes heightened restrictions on people from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela who are outside the U.S. and don't hold a valid visa. Advertisement The new ban does not revoke visas previously issued to people from countries on the list, according to guidance issued Friday to all US diplomatic missions. However, unless an applicant meets narrow criteria for an exemption to the ban, his or her application will be rejected starting Monday. Travelers with previously issued visas should still be able to enter the U.S. even after the ban takes effect. Narayana Lamy, a Haitian citizen who works for his home country's government, said he was told to wait after showing his passport and tourist visa Monday at the Miami airport while a US official confirmed by phone that he was allowed into the country to visit family members. Luis Hernandez, a Cuban citizen and green card holder who has lived in the U.S. for three years, said he had no problems returning Monday to Miami after a weekend visiting family in Cuba. 'They did not ask me anything,' Hernandez said. 'I only showed my residency card.' During Trump's first term, a hastily written executive order ordering the denial of entry to citizens of mainly Muslim countries created chaos at numerous airports and other ports of entry, prompting successful legal challenges and major revisions to the policy. Many immigration experts say the new ban is more carefully crafted and appears designed to beat court challenges that hampered the first by focusing on the visa application process. Trump said this time that some countries had 'deficient' screening for passports and other public documents or have historically refused to take back their own citizens. He relied extensively on an annual Homeland Security report of people who remain in the United States after their visas expired. Advertisement Trump also tied the new ban to a terrorist attack in Boulder, Colo., saying it underscored the dangers posed by some visitors who overstay visas. US officials say the man charged in the attack overstayed a tourist visa. He is from Egypt, which isn't on Trump's restricted list. The ban was quickly denounced by groups that provide aid and resettlement help to refugees. 'This policy is not about national security — it is about sowing division and vilifying communities that are seeking safety and opportunity in the United States,' said Abby Maxman, president of Oxfam America, a nonprofit international relief organization. Haiti's transitional presidential council said in a statement that the ban 'is likely to indiscriminately affect all Haitians' and that it hopes to persuade the U.S. to drop Haiti from the list of banned countries. In Venezuela, some visa holders changed US travel plans last week to get ahead of Trump's restrictions. For those without visas, the new restrictions may not matter much. Since Venezuela and the U.S. severed diplomatic relations in 2019, Venezuelans have had to travel to neighboring South American countries to obtain US visas. José Luis Vegas, a tech worker in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas, said his uncle gave up on renewing an expired US visa because it was already difficult before the restrictions. 'Paying for hotels and tickets was very expensive, and appointments took up to a year,' Vegas said.
