President-elect Donald Trump hasn’t even officially become President.
But already there have been some amazing accomplishments and some big moves.
And Donald Trump’s victory has already caused this group of migrants to flee.
According to a Fox News report, Haitian migrants who had settled in Springfield, Ohio, over the last few years have reportedly now left in the aftermath of President-elect Donald Trump’s overwhelming election victory.
On the road again
Springfield, Ohio, entered the national spotlight in the 2024 elections due to the huge number of Haitian migrants who had settled in the town over the last few years.
It was this community of Haitians made famous by President Trump’s famous “they’re eating the dogs” comment.
But now, some of those migrants have already packed their bags and hit the road in the wake of President-elect Trump’s election.
Springfield, which according to the 2020 census had under 60,000 residents, has struggled the last few years to support a population of between 15,000 to 20,000 Haitian migrants.
Residents of the small Ohio town have loudly complained that the uncontrolled Haitian influx has drained the town’s resources and services.
They also say the large migrant community made the town less safe, drove up rents, and caused serious problems with medical and social services.
Local residents have especially been frustrated over road safety in the area.
They say immigrants who have almost no experience driving in their own home countries have been allowed to drive in the area and have caused a dangerous situation on the roads.
Not illegal, but temporary
Many of those migrants had settled in the area having attained the legal ability to live and work in the U.S.
But for a limited time thanks to receiving temporary protected status (TPS).
But President-elect Trump has made it clear he is planning to end such permits.
This has caused many of the migrants to panic and flee the area.
“People are leaving,” Margery Koveleski, of the Haitian Community Alliance (HCA), told the Guardian.
“Some folks don’t have credit cards or access to the internet, and they want to buy a bus ticket or a plane ticket, so we help them book a flight.”
And Jacob Payen, a co-founder of the HCA who also runs a business that helps Haitians in Springfield file tax returns, also told the publication that migrants have been leaving.
“People are fully aware of the election result, and that is why they are leaving; they are afraid of a mass deportation,” Payen said.
“Several of my customers have left. One guy with his family went to New Jersey; others have gone to Boston. I know three families that have gone to Canada.”
According to reports, some of the Haitian migrants are thought to have moved to nearby cities such as Dayton, where they believe they can better hide from law enforcement.
Others who had temporary asylum in Brazil are now considering going back to the South American country, according to the Guardian, who cited community leaders.
Springfield became an issue in the presidential election after both President-elect Trump and Vice-President elect J.D. Vance claimed that Haitian migrants were eating pets there.
“They’re eating the dogs, the people that came in, they’re eating the cats,” Trump said on the debate stage against Vice-President Harris. “They’re eating the pets of the people that live there, and this is what’s happening in our country, and it’s a shame.”
Trump has also vowed to carry out the largest deportation operation in the history of the U.S.
He has appointed South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem to serve as secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Tom Homan as the new “Border Czar.”
Stay tuned to 24/7 Politics for any new developments to this ongoing story.