Haitian migrants changed this town - Trump's deportation drive is reshaping it again

Springfield, in south-west Ohio, was thrust into the spotlight in 2024 when Trump repeated a false claim about Haitian immigrants eating pets

In this closely fought midterm election campaign, the small town of Springfield, Ohio, has become a symbol of modern America. But it is a symbol that changes dramatically depending on who is describing it.

To President Donald Trump, Springfield crystallises America's problems due to years of unchecked immigration. He once echoed a false claim that Haitian immigrants were eating pets here. Today, he says his mass deportation drive means its people are "getting their town back".

But to others, Springfield represents a well-known cycle in the story of modern America. The decline of traditional industry, followed by a spike in immigration fuelled by cheap housing and low-paid labour. It is a familiar tale across the country.

This story contains some distressing details

Pierre Damas Bel, 20, arrived in Springfield to join his father and stepmother in 2024.

He fled his native Haiti, which was gripped by political instability and gang warfare. He entered the US with the government's permission under a now-defunct Biden-era programme for migrants waiting in Mexico.

Bel, according to a family friend, then received a humanitarian protection called Temporary Protected Status (TPS), which gives vetted individuals the right to live and work in the United States.

TPS usually lasts 18 months but is routinely rolled over, often for years, if the danger remains in the affected country.

Bel aspired to build a life in America, the friend said. He was an honours student, talented athlete and cadet in a high school programme training students to become officers in the US Armed Forces.

But in June, the Supreme Court upheld the Trump administration's decision to end TPS for some 350,000 Haitians in the US.

Pierre Damas Bel's family blamed his death on his feelings at having to wear an ankle monitor

Bel was told to report to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) field office where he was fitted with an ankle monitor which is used to track migrants facing deportation.

He wrote on Instagram that he felt "shame and humiliation" at having to wear the tag. And on 31 August, he parked his car on the side of a highway near Springfield, walked into oncoming traffic and was killed.

His family blamed his death on his feelings at having to wear the ankle monitor.

The Department for Homeland Security (DHS) did not respond to questions from the BBC about Bel's case. ICE has previously rejected "any attempt to blame ICE for the death".

"Remaining in the country illegally, while fighting removal, is a choice. Leaving with a free flight home and $2,600 is also a choice," a spokesperson told US media earlier this year when asked about the case.

In the weeks before his death, Bel attended a Springfield support centre for Haitians facing deportation.

Its co-founder, Viles Dorsainvil, told the BBC that Bel had been in the process of filing a motion asking ICE to remove the tag.

"He went twice to the ICE facilities… begging them to remove the ankle monitor," he said. "He did everything right to be here until they put the tag on him."

In total, more than a million immigrants from 13 countries have had TPS terminated by the Trump administration. The changes meant many went from being legal to unauthorised migrants overnight.

In 2024, Trump made securing the border and the mass deportation of undocumented migrants core pledges in his election campaign. Polls suggest the border policy continues to have strong support among Republicans, but the nature of his immigration enforcement campaign has seen a drop in backing this year.

Watch: How Trump's mass deportation drive is playing out in Ohio

Ohio has become a swing state in the coming midterm Congressional elections, and one of two Republican-held Senate seats is up for grabs. Trump has visited the state twice already in an attempt to rally turnout and counter a slide in his approval ratings.

At a rally in Youngstown, Ohio, earlier this month, Trump returned to the topic of Springfield.

"You have a little town, beautiful little town in Ohio where they dropped about 35,000 Haitians. Well, they're being taken out and they're almost going to be gone and we're giving their town back," he said to cheers.