Former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy will hold a town hall event in Springfield, Ohio, to “have open and honest dialogue” as the city struggles with the effects of mass migration.
Ramaswamy said the town hall event will be held on Thursday evening in the Edward Wren Room at the Bushnell Events Center and is open to hearing “diverse voices from the local community, including Haitian immigrants.”
The path to national unity runs through open dialogue. Headed to Springfield on Thursday. pic.twitter.com/T4l8kcqvPd
— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) September 18, 2024
“I don’t really blame the people of Springfield, either the locals or migrants, for what’s happening. I blame the awful federal policies that callously used these migrants as political pawns to sow division by transporting them to a community everyone knew was unprepared to handle them,” Ramaswamy said in a statement.
“It’s sad to see this happening just one hour from where I live, but the first step to reuniting America starts with open dialogue. Looking forward to an unvarnished conversation on Thursday night,” Ramaswamy added.
Ramaswamy, who lived in Columbus and grew up in Cincinnati, also said he would make a “charitable donation” to a local organization in Springfield to help support the community.
“I spent a LOT of time there as a kid, with wonderful memories I’m truly grateful for. It pains me to see what they’re going through now,” Ramaswamy said.
In 2020, the population of Springfield, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, was 58,622.
In just three years, the city is estimated to have taken in upwards of 20,000 Haitian refugees, increasing Springfield’s population by more than 30 percent.
Many Springfield residents have pleaded for help from local and state officials as the influx of Haitian migrants in the city has reportedly resulted in an uptick in car accidents, increased housing prices, and strained public services, including health care services.
Crime statistics provided by the Springfield Police Division also show an increase in nearly every category of crime during the same time period Haitian migrants began to be resettled in the city.
Last week, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced that $2.5 million would be directed to Springfield to “expand” primary care access for city residents.
The governor also directed the Ohio State Highway Patrol (OSHP) to support the Springfield Police Department with traffic enforcement to “address the increase in dangerous driving in Springfield by inexperienced Haitian drivers and all others who disregard traffic laws.”
DeWine further called on the federal government to “better support communities that experience an unexpected increase in migrant population.”
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Ohio Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
Photo “Vivek Ramaswamy” by Gage Skidmore. CC BY-SA 2.0.
