Questions in the aftermath
On Sunday, a stream of more than 100 people poured out of the Haitian Community Help and Support Center, which doubles as a church. Some families celebrated baptisms while others chatted in Creole.
Sitting in the back of a large room, Julio Dumano reflected on the last week.
“We were very scared at first because they promised to deport us, but maybe they will change their minds,” he said, repeating a refrain shared by several Haitian residents. “As a good Christian, we will pray and see what happens next.”
Some Haitians have already left the area, he said, frightened off by the rumors and vitriol that accompanied the negative attention in recent months. Because there is no official accounting for how many Haitians moved into the area, the city does not know how many have left.
When asked to comment on the exodus, Mayor Rob Rue nodded in apparent disappointment.
“That didn’t make me feel good,” he said. “It wasn’t the goal.”
The goal in Springfield has always been to boost the population and stimulate the economy after a long period of stagnation, officials have said. The county incentivized companies to create jobs, which attracted a first wave of Haitian immigrants.
Clark County Commissioner Melanie Wilt, who was born and raised in the area, said this is the first time in her life that she has seen so many new businesses, housing subdivisions and young families move to Springfield. The county will keep pursuing that mission under the Trump White House, she said.
“The biggest impact of the administration was already made,” she said, referring to Trump and Vance’s immigration rhetoric. “We remain on standby for whatever comes next.”
During the last Trump administration, several municipalities created sanctuary city policies in an attempt to curb deportations. Some within Springfield’s activist network wondered if they could duplicate similar efforts here.
Rue, who is a Republican but whose office is nonpartisan, immediately dismissed the idea when asked about it, saying he would continue to follow federal policy under the incoming administration.
