One year ago Springfield made international headlines over Haitian immigration: What has changed?

This all followed prominent Republican figures spreading false rumors that local Haitians were stealing and eating pets and wildlife, with then-presidential candidate Donald Trump sharing the falsehood Sept. 10, 2024 at the only presidential debate with Kamala Harris.

Leaders at the time spoke of the moment as extremely damaging, but said it presented an opportunity for positive change.

“It has put the community in a very hard test in terms of how resilient the community is in the face of adversity or hurdles,” said Vilès Dorsainvil, president of the Haitian Community Help and Support Center on Friday. “We (stakeholders) ... have found a way to come together and visit this with grace and kindness.”

So what has changed since then?

Rhetoric appears to have toned down to some degree, though many in the city continue vocalizing concerns for and about the Haitian population at city meetings and on social media.

‘Calmer, more informed’ residents

The most recent city commission meeting saw “probably the shortest” public comment period in two years, Springfield Mayor Rob Rue said. He said he feels residents are “calmer, more informed” than previously, though there are still concerns. He said he expects a continued level of increased engagement.

In August 2023, 11-year-old Aiden Clark was killed on the first day of school when a Haitian minivan driver without a valid license struck his school bus, causing it to flip and eject the boy. What followed were months of angry citizens online and at city commission meetings, many sharing concerns about unlicensed Haitian drivers and some spreading hateful rhetoric.

Hermanio Joseph was sentenced to 9 to 13.5 years in prison for the crash after being convicted of first-degree felony involuntary manslaughter and fourth-degree felony vehicular homicide. Joseph has since been used as a rallying cry for anti-immigrant rhetoric. He had an Ohio ID card and testified during the trial that he was in the county on temporary protected status.

City meetings after the national attention in September last year saw furious residents, many espousing racist views while others asked for civility and help for the “real problems,” while a quieter but still present sect asked for support and love for the Haitian community.

Several months in, city commissioners changed the rules on meetings to encourage more civil dialogue, something Rue said he wishes they had started sooner.

“I would have handled meetings differently from the onset and not wait six months to adjust (rules) to have a conducive environment for constructive dialogue,” Rue said.

The city learned a lot from last year, from safety forces being trained in more crisis-type situations to how social media and misinformation can impact a community to managing difficult conversations.

And Gov. Mike DeWine authorized a flurry of state assistance to address concerns in the Haitian community related to driving, health care and schools. The federal government did not provide assistance for Springfield to address strains.

Health care and driving

Driving skills is perhaps the most prevalent concern about the Haitian community, based on Springfield resident comments at city meetings and on social media.

Clark’s 2023 death brought many people’s attention to the issue of unlicensed Haitians’ dangerous driving leading to wrecks and insurance troubles.

The national attention last year led DeWine to authorize stronger driving enforcement, as well as funding for driving simulators, of which there are now 12, Judy Converse, public information officer for the Ohio Traffic Safety Office, said. The state has also released driver’s education materials in Haitian Creole.

Simulators are located at the following locations, according to Converse:

Rue said simulators have been effective and he hopes for continued efforts to increase driver’s education and reduce crashes.

From Sept. 11, 2024 to Sept. 9, 2025, the Ohio State Highway Patrol investigated 140 crashes, according to data provided to the Springfield News-Sun. There were 17 in September 2024 compared to 10 in August 2025 and six this month up to Sept. 9.

Enforcement stops have fluctuated in this time period, from 211 in September 2024, jumping to 712 in October 2024, decreasing to 402 in March 2025, back up in May to 519 and down to 355 last month.

As far as health is concerned, primary care visits saw a boost with state funding providing a mobile unit and staffing support, but after the Clark County Combined Health District this spring lost federal and state funds, 11 health staff were laid off and plans for a standalone clinic put on hold. The health department now has two Haitian Creole interpreters for three locations and is overall learning to be flexible, Health Commissioner Chris Cook said.

Cook said he expects additional funding cuts to continue impacting health.

Credit: Bill Lackey

Credit: Bill Lackey

The mobile unit and state staff are no longer in the community.

The health department continues to estimate a Haitian population of between 10,000 to 12,000 people, which is lower than last year’s estimate of up to 15,000 but does not indicate a mass exodus.

“It’s interesting because on one hand you could go like, ’Well why aren’t they fleeing out of fear of what’s coming?’ and I think a lot of them have just embraced this city, this country as their home,” Cook said, “and they feel confident that they’re going to be able to find some way of remaining here.”

Rumors spread last year about the Haitian community having excessive rates of tuberculosis or syphilis were found false, and Cook said they are still untrue. Clark County saw a very slight increase in tuberculosis cases through the second quarter of the year and syphilis cases, while still high, are trending downward.

The Women, Infants and Children office is seeing increased new patient appointments with an employee at the Mercy Health – Springfield birthing center, Cook said.

Springfield City Schools appear less overwhelmed, with resources and funding helping with translation and other necessary services. The schools have seen a reduction in Haitian immigrant enrollment but is continuing to see new Haitian and other immigrant students.

Immigration

Since last year’s attention and Trump’s presidential election, thousands of immigrants have been subject to negative attention and some have lost their jobs. But the number of Haitian immigrants present in the city in recent months appears stable.

“The majority of the Haitians are still in town resisting it and continue to thrive just because they want to live, not because they don’t feel what is happening, not because they don’t see what is happening,” Dorsainvil said. “But at the end of the day, they don’t have any other option and all they can do is resist.”

Returning to Haiti is a “last option,” Dorsainvil said, pointing to rampant gang violence across the country.

Many Haitian parents in the U.S. are considering options like returning to Haiti and leaving their U.S.-born children here, Cook said.

“Anybody that says that Haiti is safe enough to return to, you’re not paying attention or they’re only looking through a political lens, because it’s just not true,” Cook said.

Credit: AP

Credit: AP

Businesses and immigrants took a hit when some immigrants in the region had their humanitarian parole terminated, meaning many Haitians could no longer be legally employed.

That change happened on June 12 when the Department of Homeland Security began terminating the Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan, and Venezuelan (CHNV) humanitarian parole program. The ending was appealed and after a district court decision, those here under humanitarian parole can have their status revoked while a lawsuit on the effort plays out.

TPS was initially set to end Feb. 3, 2026 after the Biden administration extended it, but the Department of Homeland Security announced an official termination to happen Sept. 2, 2025, saying that conditions in Haiti had improved and its immigrants no longer meet the conditions for TPS.

A federal judge recently ruled that ending TPS was unlawful, blocking the program from ending early, but an appeal is expected. TPS is still set to expire Feb. 3, 2026 as of now.

Immigrants whose statuses and means of survival have been “cut” are struggling, something Dorsainvil said is “a very hard thing to witness.” He said the goal is to make immigrants miserable enough to self-deport, but this situation remains preferable to returning to Haiti.

The number of Haitian immigrants seeking assistance from the Clark County Department of Job and Family Services has steadily declined from August 2024 to August 2025, with 7,238 on Medicaid in August 2024 and 4,103 last month. There were 1,824 people on Refugee Cash Assistance in August 2024 and 111 in August 2025.

Clark County DJFS is still seeing Haitians requesting public assistance and Director Tom McGrath said staff continue to “research to ensure the customer is legally permitted to receive customer assistance, and then we proceed accordingly.”

If nothing else, Springfield nonprofits, faith leaders and other organizers have learned a lot about advocacy on the local, state and federal levels. Springfield churches have come together to form Springfield G92 as well as Springfield Neighbors United. Dorsainvil recently attended a federal court hearing in San Francisco and plans to continue advocating on the federal level.

If the city receives national attention like last year again, Rue said resources will be strained but safety forces have “muscle memory” and training to more effectively handle the chaos.