‘Who is protecting us?’: Springfield, Ohio resident tells mayor migrants throw mattresses in her front yard, scream at her
“I understand they’re here under temporary protected status and you’re protecting them…but who’s protecting us? If we’re protecting them, who’s protecting me?”
A Springfield, Ohio, resident expressed her frustration at a City Commission Meeting, revealing that Haitian immigrants squatting on her lawn and screaming at her have made her and her elderly husband feel unsafe and harassed on a daily basis.
The woman explained how her neighborhood has become increasingly unsafe due to a rising homeless population, including non-English speaking men who have been throwing mattresses and trash on her property and have been screaming at her.
“My husband is elderly and last night after living in this home for 45 years he said Noel, guess what? It’s time to pack up and move,” she explained. “He said we can’t do this anymore. He said it’s killing both of us mentally.”
“I don’t understand what you expect of us as citizens,” she continued. “I understand they’re here under temporary protected status and you’re protecting them… but who’s protecting us? If we’re protecting them, who’s protecting me?”
Springfield, a city of 58,000 residents, has experienced a significant influx of 15,000 to 20,000 Haitian immigrants in recent years. The city became part of the country’s immigration debate last year when a Haitian national without a valid US driver’s license drove into oncoming traffic and collided with a school bus, killing an 11-year-old boy and injuring 23 other children.
In July, Mayor Rob Rue spoke on Fox & Friends First, stating, “This border crisis, the policy of this administration, is failing cities like ours and taxing us beyond our limit.” He noted that the city’s resources and infrastructure are overwhelmed due to the number of illegal immigrants entering the community.
“This has overwhelmed safety services and caused great concern for our community,” he said.
City Manager Bryan Heck has also voiced concerns about the influx of illegal immigrants, telling Fox News, “It’s taxing our infrastructure. It’s taxing public safety. It’s taxing our schools. It’s taxing health care…it’s taxing our housing.”
“It’s setting communities like Springfield up to fail. And, we do not have the capacity to sustain it, and, without additional federal assistance or support, communities like Springfield will fail,” Heck added.