While Haitian immigrant Daniel Aula has found opportunity in Springfield, Ohio, he’s also found himself in the middle of a bitter national debate on immigration heading into November’s election, fueled in this case largely by rumors and threats.
The city of Springfield estimates there are between 12,000 and 15,000 immigrants living in Clark County, the county that holds Springfield, most of them believed to be Haitians arriving in just the past four years.
The image of a city dramatically altered by immigration has been seized upon by former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, who have made criticism of the Biden administration’s immigration policy a cornerstone of their campaign.
Springfield is Aula’s chance at a new life. He’s taking English classes, but he’s had so much to learn, namely how to get a job. Many in Springfield have been eager to help him, and to hire him.
Not long after he got to Springfield, Aula started working at Pentaflex, a company focused mainly on building metal stampings and assemblies for safety-related functions.
CEO Ross McGregor, whose family has been involved in manufacturing here for decades, has nothing but praise for his Haitian employees. To lose them would be a blow to his business, he told CNN. McGregor hired his first Haitian worker “three, four years ago” not because he sought them out specifically but because he needed dependable workers.
Still, many Haitian residents in Springfield live in fear of Trump’s threat of removal, unsure over their future and their safety.