This misleading, false claim that you yourself have talked about in recent days about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, abducting people's pets and eating them, which officials there have said is not true. You yourself acknowledged it may be false. On Twitter, you still told people to keep spreading it. [00:00:16] Again, whether those exact rumors turn out to be mostly true, somewhat true. Whatever the case may be, Caitlin. This town has been ravaged by 20,000 migrants coming in. Has it now, while JD Vance demagogues with a creepy fake smile on his face, [00:00:36] it is important to debunk his claim that Springfield, Ohio, has been ravaged by migrants because the answer is actually no. It hasn't been ravaged by migrants. But the reality is also nuanced. And CBS news went to the town to see for themselves what's really going on. [00:00:54] What is the reality there? Now, before we get to the videos, there's something that we also need to set the record straight on. So one of the other smears against the Haitian migrants who have come to Springfield, Ohio, is that they're all illegal, which actually isn't the case. [00:01:11] So the United States, back in 2010, granted something known as temporary protected status for Haitians after a devastating earthquake ravaged Haiti. I mean, it was so terrible that the United States government and I thought this was the right thing to do, offered this program to Haitians. [00:01:30] And temporary protected status, by the way, is just that. It's supposed to be temporary so it can be extended. And the Biden administration did, in fact, extend it. But just to give you some more details about this temporary protected status, TPS is an immigration designation available to Haitians and [00:01:49] foreign nationals from 15 other countries that allows them to live and work in the US for up to 18 months, subject to extension or redesignation by the US Department of Homeland Security. So as I mentioned, the Biden administration, because of the violence [00:02:07] that has broken out in Haiti. Gangs now control about 80% of the government there. It is brutal. Biden has decided to extend the program. So people who are here under the temporary protected status can stay a little longer. The Dayton Daily News also notes that many Haitians in Springfield [00:02:26] are eligible to apply for TPS status, and once approved for TPS, they can also immediately apply for a work permit. So these are not people who are, you know, getting paid under the table. And, you know, employers are hiring them instead of American workers [00:02:43] because they can pay them much less. These are people who have the right credentials to be able to work and live legally in the United States. And I think it's important to know that distinction. There is, by the way, no pathway to citizenship with TPS and immigrants can be deported once the period of time covered by the authorization ends. [00:03:03] People who have been granted asylum or refugee status can apply for citizenship. And by the way, I should also note that if they have TPS status, they can also apply for citizenship or asylum as well. Now, immigrants who have TPS designation, you know, the Haitians that we're [00:03:21] talking about, a lot of them have decided to go settle in Springfield, Ohio. Now, why did they choose that area? Well, because the housing was a little cheaper. It was a little easier for them to kind of get settled there. But we did see a pretty large number of people show up in a short period of time. [00:03:40] And when you're talking about a small town, that could have some issues, right. And so we're going to get to those issues in a minute. But first, I think it's really important to also talk about what the Christian right in this country is currently spreading about [00:03:55] Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio. Nonsense about them stealing cats and eating them and just totally ignoring who these people really are and how they've already become part of the fabric of the community. They're. So take a look at this. [00:04:11] Springfield's a small, blue collar city with a familiar story. Much of the factory work left decades ago, and the residents followed. A community of more than 80,000 emptied out to less than 60, we trust. [00:04:27] - That is, until the last few years. - Our churches. - We see new people. - In the pews. Yes, absolutely. Wes Bibian was the pastor at First Baptist Church for almost 20 years. For years we've lost people. [00:04:43] But you hope somebody else will come and take their place. That that hasn't happened here until now, because there are folks from Haiti who are coming to church. Hey, don't scroll away, come back, come back. Because before the video continues, we just want to urge you to lend your support [00:04:59] to tight you power our honest reporting. You do it at Titcomb team and we love you for it. So these are church going, hard working Haitian migrants who escaped terrible conditions, either from the earthquake or from the horrible gang violence [00:05:16] that's been taking place in Haiti. And I just think it's important to not allow, you know, anyone from any political group to dehumanize these people. It's just not the right thing to do. Obviously, I find it immoral. And when you dehumanize people, that leads to instances where others feel justified [00:05:37] in demonizing them, attacking them. And it's just not fair considering what they have already been through. Okay, now, that's not to say that there's never any problems with migrants, right? But it is to say that it is unfair to smear an entire group of people [00:05:53] who have already had incredibly difficult lives and aren't doing anything wrong. For the most part, these are people who are going to church. They're these are people who are working in factories there and in fact, it is important to also discuss how the industries there. The factories there have actually benefited from an increase [00:06:11] in the population in this area because, as you saw earlier in that clip, you know, the deindustrialization of that area led to a lot of people leaving. But now things are changing and the Haitian migrants have something to do with it. Let's take a look. [00:06:28] Gregor is the CEO of MacGregor metal, which makes welded parts for the auto and farm industries. Right now, about 10% of his workforce is Haitian. - Over 30 employees. - I wish I had 30 more. Our Haitian associates come to work every day. They don't have a drug problem. They'll stay at their machine. [00:06:45] They'll achieve their numbers. They are here to work. And so in general, that's that's a stark difference from what we're used to in our community. MacGregor acknowledges the sudden arrival of so many new immigrants is a challenge on multiple fronts, but he believes this is partly [00:07:03] how the industrial Midwest can regrow. We want more jobs in our community, and in order to fill those jobs, some jobs need to be people who are not originally from here. So there has been this. [00:07:18] The economy to some extent has been stimulated as a result of new workers coming in. And those new legal workers, remember, these are people who can work legally because they have the temporary protected status from our federal government are based [00:07:34] on what you just heard from that CEO. They're dependable. They're they're showing up to work all day. They're excited to work all day. It's helping to stimulate the economy, the local economy. And it's also starting to make the local community there a little more vibrant. Whereas before people were leaving. Okay. [00:07:51] It was a town that was already a small town, but it was slowly dying with more and more people leaving. Okay. But I also want to talk about the next clip, because you know, there there are some other elements to this that I think we need to get into, [00:08:07] because no story is ever black and white. And I do think that when you see instances of resentment toward a migrant population coming in, yes, there are definitely going to be some people who just they don't want to see people different from them coming into their local community. I get that that does exist. [00:08:23] But the resentment, I believe, for the most part, comes from the fact that when you have an influx of people coming in and you don't have the resources to respond to that appropriately, well, then there's going to be a little bit of a fight for those resources. [00:08:39] And I'm actually kind of irritated that the federal government didn't do more to support this community, to prevent some of those resentments from bubbling up. So let's go to our next clip. There's things in the last five years that have really changed and has been [00:08:55] a forward improvement for Springfield, but this is taxing the resources of the city. Well, afterwards. Springfield's mayor, Rob Rioux says he was cautiously optimistic when the first Haitians settled in town, but then their numbers quickly rose. The city estimates 12 to 15,000 Haitians are here now. [00:09:14] The infrastructure of the city, our safety forces, our hospitals, our schools. Springfield is a close community and has a big heart. But at the same point, we've had this influx that has taxed all these services. The number of students needing English language help has quadrupled in five years. [00:09:31] Translators at the local health center cost hundreds of thousands of dollars a year, and last year was the busiest year on record for the fire department. Mayor Roux says reckless driving is an issue, but there has been no uptick in [00:09:48] crime related to the immigrant population. But with so many new arrivals, he says the city needs help bolstering basic infrastructure. We say we need help, basically for translation services and safety forces. That's what we're looking at. Our hospitals need reinforcement. [00:10:06] In fact. I mean, if you listen to what actual people living in this community are saying, you know, they're not saying things like they're eating our cats. I mean, yes, there's like a handful of examples of people saying unhinged things, but most people are saying, look, there's been a problem with reckless driving. [00:10:22] And you just heard, you know, PBS news report that, but there hasn't been an uptick in crime. And there's a reason for that. Guys, what's the reason? Well, we're not talking about people who cross the border illegally again. These are Haitians who applied for temporary protected status. [00:10:38] Now, in order to do so, you have to fulfill certain requirements, including the statute specifies grounds of inadmissibility that cannot be waived, including those relating to criminal convictions, drug offenses, terrorist activity, and the persecution of others. [00:10:55] So these are people who to the, you know, conservatives who are concerned about this. These are people who have been vetted for the most part. Right. And so they had to get approved for the status. They're working in the community. But as you just heard from the mayor of Springfield, Ohio, when [00:11:13] you have that influx of people coming in, it is going to tax the infrastructure there, the health care system, emergency services, the schools, because you have to think about it. You have to have enough employees to respond to that in the hospitals, in the schools. [00:11:30] That doesn't mean that doesn't mean migrants are bad people. Okay. By admitting this, you're actually allowing for solutions to be discussed so you can avoid resentment from the local community that's been living there. That's what we should be wanting to do. [00:11:45] You know, I think one of the biggest mistakes is kind of like turning the other way, because we don't want to make it appear as though we're being critical of migration or immigration or migrants coming in. But like guys, we need to find solutions for the legitimate concerns [00:12:02] that people have, because you do want to avoid the resentment and you do want to make sure that local communities that are affected by federal policies are getting the appropriate resources to deal with what the federal government is doing, right. The, you know, changes that they're making to their immigration policy. [00:12:21] I don't think that's a bad thing. I think that's actually a good thing. We shouldn't run away from potential solutions or a discussion about potential solutions. We should be open minded about what, you know, the people in that local community are concerned about what can we do to fix it, and what can we do [00:12:38] to make that community better. So everyone's happy. And I love that, you know, PBS actually went over there and did this story. They went to the community, they talked to the appropriate people, and they were able to get to the bottom of what the real issues are. And so I would say, you know, meet your fellow Americans with some grace [00:12:57] when they air their concerns. Not everyone who brings up these issues is doing so because they're hateful. They're doing so because they're seeing some problems. They're seeing a lack of care or thought from the federal government. And I think they're definitely right in wanting those issues to be addressed. [00:13:16] But you also have to keep in mind that these are people, the migrants who have come in. These are people who are also stimulating the local economy there, who are taking a town that was slowly but surely dying due to deindustrialization and revitalizing it. So there's a lot of good, but there are also some issues that should be addressed. [00:13:34] And so again, there you have it. We'll put a link to the PBS news report in our description box. I highly recommend watching the whole thing. Thanks for watching The Young Turks. Really appreciate it. Another way to show support is through YouTube memberships. You'll get to interact with us more. There's live chat emojis, badges. [00:13:52] You've got emojis of me Anna John Jr. So those are super fun. But you also get playback of our exclusive member only shows and specials right after they air. So all of that, all you got to do is click that join button right underneath the video. [00:14:08] Thank you.