The Biden-Harris administration's open border policies and expanded “legal pathways” have caused chaos in many cities across the country, including the small town of Tremont City, Ohio, in the Springfield metropolitan area.
The Administration's CHNV program allows otherwise inadmissible nationals of Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela to fly into the United States and obtain two-year work permits. The program allows 30,000 people from those countries to enter the United States each month.
Additionally, the Biden-Harris administration has extended temporary protected status for Haitian migrants until August of next year.
These two programs brought an influx of approximately 20,000 Haitian nationals to Springfield, Ohio, and then to smaller nearby municipalities, including Tremont City.
Local officials and residents who spoke to The Blaze News' Julio Rosas recently said the government's actions have strained village resources, increased traffic accidents and contributed to a housing shortage.
Tremont Mayor Tony Flood II told Rosas, “The feelings are indescribable. I'm ashamed that our leaders and leaders have allowed this to run rampant.”
“My wife works in downtown Springfield,” he continued, “and my daughter works right next to her, and I'm scared to death that one day I'm going to get a call or the state police are going to come and say she got run over or something.”
He noted that the number of traffic accidents in the area, especially around Springfield, has increased since the city welcomed new foreign residents.
“Honestly, I'm angry that we let it get to this point, because kids are being killed,” Flood added. Last year, a Haitian driver allegedly crashed into a school bus, killing an 11-year-old boy and injuring dozens of other children.
Tremont Police Chief Chad Duncan told The Blaze-News that the city is experiencing a “massive influx” of Haitians.
He said, “None of them have licenses. If they do, it's a temporary permit. Obviously, you can't drive in the state of Ohio on a temporary permit.”
The increase in accidents, according to the officer, could easily be prevented if “everyone, all police, gets on the same page and starts towing these vehicles.”
Duncan explained that the town's law enforcement resources are limited and strained due to recent population growth.
“We don't have the capacity to deal with all of that,” he added, noting that the village has not been provided with any additional resources.
Tremont resident Mark Sanders told The Blaze News that his city is strict about towing cars of unlicensed drivers, but Springfield is not. Sanders speculated that by not towing cars, Springfield is trying to appear more welcoming and accommodating to Haitians. Sanders said he has been hit twice while driving on Tremont roads, and his mother-in-law once.
“Police are almost morally overwhelmed because they're responding to five, six, seven accidents every day,” Sanders continued. “It's like the movie Groundhog Day. It's the same thing happening over and over again.”
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