Former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy hosted a town hall on Thursday in Springfield, Ohio, where over 15,000 Haitian immigrants have invaded the small town with a population of just 56,000.
During the town hall, hundreds of people gathered to express concerns for their safety despite left-leaning networks dismissing claims that Haitian immigrants are overrunning the Ohio town. Reports also say the immigrants are reportedly also eating and sacrificing animals.
One woman told Ramaswamy that an illegal immigrant chased her and her daughter down the street with a machete, adding that police failed to respond to her calls or check in on the crime.
“So, that’s how you know there’s no crime in Springfield because no one is reporting it,” the woman said.
She sounded the alarm on the increased amount of crime in her hometown, saying that her daughter was stalked by an immigrant during a trip to the local Walmart, causing her to have to run to her car after not feeling safe.
NEW: Springfield, Ohio, mother tells Vivek Ramaswamy that an immigrant with a machete chased her daughter, and the police didn't respond to her call.@VivekGRamaswamy: "If your first act of entering the country breaks the law, then you are more likely to break the law when you… pic.twitter.com/BHw8HFzBdy
— KanekoaTheGreat (@KanekoaTheGreat) September 20, 2024
The Ohio businessman criticized the mainstream media, continually telling Americans “to shut up, sit down, do as you're told” instead of addressing the United States' problems. Ramaswamy pointed out how the left wants people to “sweep it under the rug,” and if you don’t, “you’re guilty of some sin.”
Ramaswamy pointed the blame not on the thousands of Haitian immigrants in Springfield but the "federal policies" of the Biden-Harris Administration who told them “they’re actually allowed to be here.”
“If you’re going to depend on government services or the welfare state when you enter this country, then you should not be permitted to enter the country," the Republican said.
Vivek Ramaswamy at the Springfield Ohio Town Hall does not blame anyone in Springfield, including the Haitians. Vivek correctly states that the 'federal policies' of the Biden - Harris administration are responsible for what is going on in Springfield:
— Eric Abbenante (@EricAbbenante) September 19, 2024
"I don't even blame the… pic.twitter.com/0wCbxamLti
Residents hit back at Democrats who called them "racist" to be concerned about the increased influx of Haitians in the community.
"It isn't racism," one woman said. "If it were 20,000 people from Sweden, it would be the same thing."
Live in Springfield, OH today where @VivekGRamaswamy held a town hall with local residents last night. They sounded off on the impact an influx of 15,000 Haitian migrants has had on their city & rejected accusations of racism, telling me they’d have same reaction to 20k Swedish. pic.twitter.com/YkkkXUwD4V
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) September 20, 2024
Ramaswamy also told the crowd there are three simple principles the Biden-Harris Administration got wrong about immigration:
One is that there is "No migration without consent." The second is that "Consent should only be granted to migrants who benefit America," and the third is "Those who enter without consent must be removed."
Springfield City Commission officials say an estimated 4,000 to 7,000 Haitians have arrived in recent years. The thousands of Haitian immigrants in the Ohio town are on Temporary Protected Status, with more than 20,000 Haitians resettling there under the Biden-Harris Administration. Springfield’s population has increased 33 percent since Biden took office. In comparison, Springfield’s population decreased 1.7 percent between 2010 and 2020.