SPRINGFIELD — Springfield was in the national spotlight for the second time during the 2024 Presidential Election.
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Ohio Senator JD Vance and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz met Tuesday night in the first and only Vice-Presidential debate.
As previously reported by News Center 7, Springfield has been in the national spotlight because of the city’s influx of Haitian migrants and comments made by former President Donald Trump during his debate with Vice President Kamala Harris.
News Center 7 has provided continuous coverage of the Haitian migrants in Springfield and the reaction to comments from Trump and JD Vance.
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Springfield has been at the center of the national immigration debate after false claims surfaced that Haitian migrants in the city were eating neighborhood pets. City and state leaders said there have been no credible or detailed reports of any pets being abducted or eaten, as News Center 7 previously reported.
Walz accused both Vance and Trump of villainizing immigrants in Vance’s home state Tuesday night. He added that Governor Mike DeWine had to send extra law enforcement to provide security to the city’s schools after Vance tweeted about it and Trump spoke about it.
“This is what happens when you don’t want to solve it [immigration],” Walz said. “You demonize it. And we saw this — Sen. Vance, and it surprises me on this, talking about and saying, ‘I will create stories to bring attention to this.’ That vilified a large number of people who worked legally in the community of Springfield.”
Vance said the 15,000 Haitians in Springfield had caused housing, economic, and other issues that the Biden-Harris administration was ignoring.
“He’s very worried about the things that I’ve said about Springfield,” Vance said. “Look, in Springfield, Ohio, and in communities all across this county, you’ve got schools that are overwhelmed, you’ve got hospitals that are overwhelmed, you’ve got housing that is totally unaffordable because we’ve brought in millions so illegal immigrants to compete with Americans for scarce homes.”
The debate moderators pointed out that the Haitians living there had legal status, Vance said that the moderators would not be fact-checking. As he continued, the moderators tried to move on, but his microphone was cut off and neither man could be heard.
Other topics discussed Tuesday night include Iran, abortion, and gun control.
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