close
close

topicnews · September 27, 2024

Springfield is feeling the strain of rapid immigration growth

Springfield is feeling the strain of rapid immigration growth

Philip Derrow
| Guest columnist

play

Philip Derrow of New Albany is a retired business owner. He served two terms on the New Albany-Plain Local Board of Education. He is a frequent Columbus Dispatch contributor.

The immigration debate has become a storm that is raging in torrents.

This is more than a bad pun.

Lost amid the deluge of silly idiomatic nonsense is the reality of the tsunami of millions of new immigrants to U.S. citizens each year. At least 11 million of these new arrivals are now here illegally. That’s almost as much as the entire population of Ohio.

In general, I support legal immigration for a variety of economic, cultural and humanitarian reasons. With the birth rate of American citizens below subsistence levels, a pattern seen in all developed countries, we need immigrants for a vibrant, growing economy.

However, illegal immigration is a violation of the rule of law, a threat to the security of American citizens, and a burden on already stretched federal budgets (i.e., taxpayers).

And no, the vaunted immigration reform bill that failed to pass earlier this year was not a good deal for Americans.

Since the founding of our country, we have experienced several waves of immigration. More than 80 million people have come here, mainly from parts of Europe, but also from Africa, Asia and, more recently, Mexico, countries in Central and South America and the Caribbean.

Your presence enriches our nation in ways most of us rarely consider. Through their work, culture and traditions, they become “Americans” and America becomes what we used to call a melting pot.

We must also acknowledge the evil of slavery, which forcibly brought millions of Africans to our shores and treated them as less than human during that time. It took the bloodiest war in our nation’s history to end the scourge of slavery, and today, fortunately, the descendants of slaves are as fully Americans and have the same rights as any other citizen.

I am the grandson of immigrants on both sides of my family. My grandparents came to this country a little over a century ago after escaping terrible pogroms against Jews across much of Eastern Europe and Russia. My paternal grandparents were initially denied entry into the United States and had to temporarily settle in Argentina. They buried their firstborn child there before they could legally immigrate to the United States

I have no interest in pulling up the welcome mat for newcomers, but just as my grandparents waited to come here legally, so should every other immigrant. While the vast majority of Americans support this view, our current administration has failed to act on it millions of times.

So what’s going on in Springfield, Ohio? In 2020, this small town 45 miles west of Columbus had a population of just under 60,000. Springfield’s mayor says the city is now hosting another 12,000 to 15,000 newcomers, mostly from Haiti.

Anyone who thinks that a sudden 25% population increase in a small Midwestern town can easily handle it hasn’t given it much thought. This is particularly the case when most of these new residents do not speak English or share the cultural traditions of their neighbors. Taxpayers will continue to spend millions of dollars to support them.

The cost and availability of housing is a burden on residents. Springfield schools, already struggling to educate the city’s children, now must spend significant amounts of money and tuition on immigrant children.

Former President Trump kicked off the recent drama with his flippant debate remark about what’s for dinner. While most media outlets focused on it, former Wall Street Journal reporter Asra Nomani uncovered evidence of human trafficking targeting the Haitians of Springfield. A few days later, Dublin-based former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy held a town hall event for Springfield residents to voice their concerns. He’s heard a lot.

All is definitely not well in Springfield.

While our new Haitian neighbors are likely here legally, this status was a decision by the Biden-Harris administration. It wasn’t necessary. It was a decision that only granted up to 500,000 Haitians “temporary protected status” to stay in the United States

Our immigration laws also require proper vetting of applicants. We only have to look at the Venezuelan gangs fighting for turf across the country to know that the Biden-Harris administration is fundamentally unable to enforce these laws even if it wanted to.

Pet safety is a distraction in this debate. In a world that has only become more dangerous, the safety of American citizens should be the primary responsibility of our leaders.

While politicians fight like cats and dogs, we should all remember that sensible immigration is an invitation-only event, not an open day.

Philip Derrow of New Albany is a retired business owner. He served two terms on the New Albany-Plain Local Board of Education. He is a frequent Columbus Dispatch contributor.

You may also like...