This is a great explainer piece about how so many Haitian immigrants ended up in Springfield, Ohio. It’s a mostly just-the-facts-ma’am type of story by the NYT, setting aside the odious non-factual claims by Donald Trump et gang that Haitian immigrants are feasting on family pets in Springfield. If you’re looking for reporting that confirms all of your ideological prejudices, left or right, you’ll find the piece a little uncomfortable at times. For instance:

— It was private employers who hired thousands of Haitians and encouraged them to spread the word within Haitian immigrant circles about available jobs in Springfield, Ohio. I think it’s very safe to say that in Ohio, more than a few of those employers are rock-solid Republicans. In general, employers are playing a huge under-reported role in the nation’s immigration saga, a role Trump supporters conveniently don’t mention much.

— Springfield, with a population of less than 50,000, has seen an influx of 12,000 to 20,000 Haitians of late. This is far more than the “thousands” suggested in prior MSM stories. It’s simply a crushing, overwhelming number that would freak out officials in any town in the U.S., not just Springfield. (Picture the influx happening in Brookline, Mass. Can you imagine the uproar?)  

— The article clearly shows that jobs and affordable housing attracted Haitians to Springfield, making them classic immigrants pursuing the American Dream. But they’re also immigrants, unlike generations past, who are entitled by law, via the Temporary Protected Status statute, to all government services and benefits, from health-care to food stamps to schooling for their children. This is mostly what’s overwhelming town resources. 

— The article notes that “most” Haitians in Springfield are there legally. But that begs the questions: 1.) what percentage are not there legally?  2.) how many arrived illegally but were later declared legal via Biden administration fiat under TPS?  

Fyi: Scott Van Voorhis has a good post on this general issue (see “Will history repeat itself? Mainstream media and progressives underestimate the voters anger and anxiety over illegal immigration”). But with their racist tropes about immigrants chowing down on Fido and other family pets, Trump et gang have clearly crossed a line (yet again).