Haitian immigrants self-deport from Springfield ahead of Trump's inauguration as president

Haitian immigrants housed in Springfield (Ohio) are leaving the country after Donald Trump's electoral triumph. Various sources confirm that there has been an increase in the number of people who are looking for alternative destinations because of the president-elect's plans to implement a mass deportation for those without papers.

For example, reports The Guardian, in a small office behind a Haitian grocery store on South Limestone Street, Margery Koveleski has spent years helping Haitians work through the necessary paperwork to live in the city. However, in recent days they turn to her for help getting out of the country.

"“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. People are leaving," Koveleski recently told The Guardian.

Similar are reports from other media outlets such as CBS. Ketlie Moise, another Haitian immigrant, explained to the news outlet that several friends have decided to emigrate from the state. Moise owns a restaurant and mentioned that several of her employees also decided to leave.

In fact, Moise's own daughter is among those who left Springfield. The woman noted that after her daughter left, she considered leaving as well.

"Yes, I keep thinking about that. I don't know where I´m gonna go, but I keep thinking about that," Moise said.

Immigrants like Moise is in the country thanks to Temporary Protected Status (TPS ), which President Donald Trump promised to end. In an October interview with NewsNation, the Republican argued that his proposal seeks to repatriate these immigrants, noting that Springfield, Ohio, has been "overrun" and that it is critical to restore order to the community.

During the interview, Trump emphasized that his stance is not directly linked to Haiti, but rather responds to the need to protect American cities. It has nothing to do with Haiti or anything else. You have to remove the people, and you have to bring them back to their own country," he said, describing Springfield as "a beautiful place" that has been affected by the growing influx of immigrants.

Local authorities estimate there are more than 20,000 Haitians, most of them arrivals since the pandemic, in a population of 58,000.

The small Ohio town that went viral in the ABC debate between the Republican and Kamala Harris when the now president-elect echoed complaints from neighbors that illegal immigrants were hunting and devouring pets and park animals such as geese. The left soon dismissed it as a hoax, ignoring the existing allegations.

The Trump-Vance ticket won locally by 135 votes over the Democrats. A derisory amount, but that's nearly 2,000 votes more than in 2020, when Springfield went for Joe Biden by 1,800 ballots difference.