SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — Two local pastors spoke to Fox News Digital about the ministry challenges facing their town that has been thrust into the national spotlight after viral videos of residents complaining of disturbing behavior from Haitian refugees who have settled in the area.
"I think the biggest change that we’ve seen happen has just been sort of a breakdown in the trust of the community and some basic civility has also broken down a little bit," BJ Newman, a pastor in Springfield, Ohio, told Fox News Digital from Springfield’s Snyder Park on Thursday. "I think the reason for that is because there have been so many changes so quickly…. In the 2020 census, there was about 50,000, a little north of that, residents here, now we have, numbers I have been reading, between 15,000 and 20,000 additional immigrants have arrived."
The comments come as the town where Newman works has been thrust into the national spotlight, attention that has only grown since Ohio Sen. JD Vance and former President Donald Trump highlighted the town in back-to-back days earlier this week.
On Monday, Vance took to social media to write about the town, claiming that "people have had their pets abducted and eaten by people who shouldn’t be in this country."
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Trump doubled down on the claim during Tuesday’s debate, arguing that Haitian refugees in Springfield are "eating the dogs, the people that came in, they're eating the cats."
"They're eating the pets of the people that live there, and this is what's happening in our country, and it's a shame," Trump said in a response to a question about immigration.
Many local leaders rushed to the town’s defense, disputing what has become a widespread claim.
Newman also expressed frustration with the claim, arguing that it has distracted from real issues being faced by Springfield locals as they try to adjust to the boom in the town’s population.
"I think the suffering is real," Newman said. "One of the reasons that I wanted to speak to this is because I am a pastor, and because I am seeing the local people that I’m ministering to are being affected by it."
At the heart of the issue, Newman argued, is how quickly the makeup of the town changed, exacerbating cultural differences that have led to tensions between longtime locals and the growing population of refugees from Haiti.
"I think most people here in Springfield are good people, I think most people here are very kind and hospitable people. And I do think that the massive influx in such a short time has created real stress, real friction, and ultimately, I think that’s the source of all of the difficulty," Newman said.
That friction has increasingly bubbled up among longtime residents, who have attended city council meetings to attempt to voice their concerns about the influx.
Locals have specifically pointed to road safety issues, arguing that many immigrant drivers have been found responsible for many recent crashes, including some of which have been fatal.
"The driving in town is horrendous," former Ohio Republican State Rep. Kyle Koehler told Fox News Digital, adding that much of that can be chalked up to cultural differences and the fact that many immigrants have arrived in Springfield with no license and very little experience driving.
In one high profile incident last October, a school bus with dozens of children collided with a minivan, resulting in over 20 injuries to students on board and one fatality, Aiden Clark.
Hermanio Joseph, a Haitian immigrant, was found responsible for the accident and was later found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and vehicular homicide.
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"That traumatized this community," Newman said of the fatal crash. "We mobilized pretty quickly in my role as a minister, and we had to work really hard to do some counseling and to intervene. And I think what that did was that shown a bright flashing star, like ‘wait a second, what’s going on here.’"
However, as some residents mobilized to push back against the influx, others began mounting an effort to defend the Haitian refugees.
At an event across town later Thursday, other religious leaders in town gathered at Springfield’s Covenant Presbyterian Church to highlight their efforts to welcome and assist the growing number of Haitian refugees.
One of those attending the event was First Baptist Church Reverend Adam Banks, who told Fox News Digital that tension in Springfield is expected but can be overcome.
"There’s tension in the community, much like the ways that tension has arisen in the past when there have been new members to move into an established area," Banks said.
Banks chalked up the current tension in Springfield to a "lack of understanding" and "familiarity" between two cultures not used to each other, but argued that also means there are "more people who are available to share their gifts" and assist with "services in the community."
Banks, who said some members of the Haitian community have attended his services, argued that refugees should be welcomed by the community instead of shunned.
"They have joined right in helping with the sound system, sharing special music, sharing their lovely voices, reading scripture, providing leadership in various capacities in the congregation," Banks said, adding that he will continue to "welcome" people who "want to celebrate the gift that each person brings and magnify god."
"We do not need any more false information being shared, that really display a fear we have for those that we don’t understand," Banks said.
Meanwhile, Newman argued that those who have been members of the community for a long time should be able to be part of the conversation, though they are typically dismissed for voicing any concerns.
"I think there’s a larger narrative… that says the only compassionate response in a situation like this is you accept all of these immigrants and shut up. Any sense of raising our hand and saying ‘wait a second, we weren’t considered, we’re suffering her too.’ And the response is something like… you’re racist or you’re a bigot, why are you so anti-immigrant," Newman said.
