Springfield, Ohio, saw a significant increase in reports of shoplifting and vehicle thefts after thousands of Haitian refugees arrived, according to data obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation through a records request.
This town is population Of the 58,622 in 2020, 12,000 and 20,000 Haitian refugees Last 3 yearsThe population grew by 34.1% to 20.4%.From 2021 to 2023, Springfield saw a 51.5% increase in reported auto thefts and a 112.8% spike in reported shoplifting, according to data from the Springfield Police Department.
Springfield residents have previously told the DCNF that the influx of Haitians has led to increased traffic accidents, higher home prices and strained public services. Springfield Mayor Brian Heck sent a letter in July to Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) and Tim Scott (R-South Carolina) requesting federal assistance to address the pressure immigration has put on the housing supply.
Town residents also told the DCNF that they had witnessed Haitians engaging in sexual acts and other immoral acts in public. The DCNF was unable to verify town residents' claims that Haitians were engaging in lewd acts in public. (Related story: Ohio town struggles with car accidents, housing crisis and national attention due to migrant influx)
The Springfield Police Department declined to comment on the crime data, which does not include information on the immigration status or demographics of offenders.
Springfield already had a higher crime rate than the country as a whole before the Haitian influx. For example, in 2019, the city's crime rate was Violent Crime Rate This compares with 493.8 per 100,000 people. United States That rate is 366.7 per 100,000 people, according to data compiled by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The number of reported auto thefts in Springfield increased from 324 in 2021 to 491 in 2023. Meanwhile, the number of reported shopliftings jumped from 295 in 2021 to 628 in 2023, according to police data.
After the city's Chamber of Commerce successfully attracted new businesses, many Haitians began coming to Springfield to fill the labor demand. According to According to the New York Times, while immigrants have angered some residents, many Paying taxes To support the community.
Republican Ohio Governor Mike DeWine has set aside $2.5 million to deal with the migrant surge in Springfield, Ohio. Announced On Wednesday, he announced he would deploy the Ohio State Highway Patrol to help with traffic enforcement in the city. The issue of poor refugee driving became a flashpoint in the community in August 2023 when an unlicensed Haitian driver drove a minivan into a school bus and then rolled over. Murder An 11-year-old boy was killed and about a dozen other students were injured.
A pastor in Springfield told the DCNF that the influx of Haitians has led to daily accidents in the town, and a local towing company employee confirmed the increase.
Volunteer teacher Hope Kaufman teaches Haitian students in an English class at the Haitian Community Help and Support Center in Springfield, Ohio. (Photo: Roberto Schmidt/AFP)
Police recorded just two reports of animal cruelty in 2021, but none in 2022 and 2023, and could not provide evidence for rumors that Haitians were stealing and eating residents' pets. The number of reported murders and assaults in the town remained roughly steady from 2021 to 2023.
Since President Joe Biden took office in January 2021, immigration authorities have had more than 7 million encounters with migrants at the southern border. According to According to data from Customs and Border Protection, small towns like Springfield, as well as big cities like New York and Chicago, are seeing such high numbers of migrants that they are straining their finances as they try to accommodate the new arrivals, Bloomberg reported. Reported.
Biden-Harris Administration Awarded The government first granted Temporary Protected Status to Haitians in 2021 and then extended that designation through 2026, protecting them from deportation and allowing them to work legally. As more Haitians migrated to Springfield, the number of government benefit recipients has also increased significantly, Reuters reported. Reported.
As of April, the Biden-Harris administration had flown more than 400,000 migrants to the United States, including 154,000 from Haiti. The administration halted the flight program after an internal report found widespread misconduct, but then Allowed We will resume.
“We are tired. Please help us,” one Springfield resident told the DCNF when asked what message they wanted to send to the nation. “Send help. Help us solve this problem.”
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