Here's how to help the Haitians in Springfield
The Rooster will be in Springfield later today. You can help Haitian immigrants and sustain the work at the same time.
I’d like to think that Donald Trump, a career con artist and confirmed Jeffrey Epstein confidant, duped the American public into thinking that “mass deportations” would only target violent and sadistic criminals.
And maybe that’s true for the so-called independent voters who have soured on ICE and Trump’s version of enforcing immigration law.
From Jason Lange of Reuters on Jan. 27:
Just 39% of Americans approve of the job Trump is doing on immigration, down from 41% earlier this month, while 53% disapprove, the poll found. Immigration was a brighter spot for Trump's popularity in the weeks following his January inauguration. In February, 50% approved and 41% disapproved.
It’s hard to extend that benefit of the doubt, however, to the millions of Americans who voted for Trump.
He campaigned on “mass deportations,” with his supporters holding signs at the Republican convention, captured in images that almost assuredly will age as well as those black-and-white photos of angry whites shrieking at Black children walking into newly integrated schools.
Trump and his chief bootlicker, Vice President J.D. Vance, fabricated and spread lies about Haitian immigrants abducting and eating domesticated pets in Springfield, Ohio. Vance later admitted he’s willing to “create stories” for media attention.
In an election ostensibly about inflated grocery prices, Trump increased his margins in Springfield and Clark County from 2020. And, as former President Barack Obama once said, elections have consequences.
Trump technically won Springfield, with his 9,881 voters comprising 50.4 percent of the vote. (Compared to the 8,935 [45 percent] in 2020 and 8,578 [43 percent] in 2016.)
According to the 2020 census, Springfield has roughly 48,481 residents. City officials estimate that 12,000 to 15,000 Haitians call Champion City home.
I almost begrudge the residents who couldn’t be bothered to vote as much as those who voted for Trump. Almost.
The conservative line of defense, led by Ohio senior Senator Bernie Moreno, seems to be that “temporary” means just that. But the federal government could terminate Haitian protections in 20 years, and that would still qualify as “temporary” status.
Did the Republican-controlled federal government do anything to streamline the citizenship process to incentivize immigrants to “do it the right way” over the past 13 months? Also no.
Senator Moreno, with no supporting proof, argues that the Haitians are “dependent on social welfare programs,” which is odd considering they were recruited to Springfield by the business community because of their ability to come to work on time and sober.
That’s something my old texting buddy, Governor Sleepy Tea, knows in his heart. And I appreciate having a governor that I know, at the very least, isn’t salivating at the mouth while fantasizing about jack-booted thugs beating immigrants in the street.
But our current times demand more than behind-the-scenes consternation and tepid public statements.
According to independent researcher Kate Ross, the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles supplied 20,000 records (including photos) to the Department of Homeland Security in May.
That would seemingly violate the Driver’s Privacy Protection Act of 1994, but that would require Ohio to have an Attorney General who lives his self-described Christian values behind railing against abortion.
But now, the Haitians who haven’t fled—the ones whose only crime is coming to Springfield to work legally—will be subjected to the state’s monopoly of violence at the hands of the brazenly criminal Department of Homeland Security.
It makes me sick, because I am a true believer in the idea that America’s diversity is its greatness. And given what the American government has done to Haiti over the years, the least we owe them is a blue-collar job in a warehouse in Springfield.
As things stand, protections for Haitians end Tuesday.
Given the price Minnesota paid for one smear job from a puttering tablet adult, The Rooster will be in Springfield for at least the next two days, trying to push back against the right-wing narrative and highlight the people, businesses, and causes rallying around their neighbors.
If any free-loading hog subscribes to The Rooster between Monday and Friday, half those proceeds will be donated to a cause in support of Springfield’s Haitian community.
It’s as good a time as any to subscribe, given that we’re barreling toward statewide elections in November:
Anyone else can donate to the Springfield slush fund via Venmo and PayPal.
That money will also support pro-immigrant businesses and charities in Springfield.
The Rooster raised over $1,000 for a Haitian-centered charity in 2004. We’ve grown a lot since then, so I’m confident we’ll be able to cut a much bigger check on Friday.
Be sure to follow The Rooster on BlueSky, Instagram and Facebook for minute-by-minute updates.
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