SPRINGFIELD — Some state and local officials have concerns about what will happen to the economy when thousands of Haitian immigrants lose their temporary legal status early next year.
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Governor Mike DeWine was in Springfield on Friday for a series of meetings he’s been having regularly with community leaders.
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“We do this every few months,” DeWine said.
As reported on News Center 7 at 5:30, an estimated 15,000 Haitian immigrants have moved to Springfield and Clark County in recent years.
News Center 7 has covered real challenges that the sudden population influx has created in the community.
Some include the strain the population surge is putting on police and fire services, schools, healthcare, and translation services.
DeWine said there are now economic concerns since the Department of Homeland Security announced in June that it ended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians and other groups living in the United States.
>>RELATED: DHS ends Temporary Protected Status for Haitians
“The people who came under that label, companies who were no longer legally allowed to employ them,” DeWine said.
DeWine told News Center 7’s John Bedell that he met with representatives from McGregor Metal, Dole and Topre America, and others, who all employ Haitian migrants.
DeWine shared some of the concerns he’s hearing from the Clark County business community.
“They’re expressing to me concern about, you know, suddenly losing a large number of their employees,” DeWine said.
The governor said he has his economic worries too.
“If all those individuals one day no longer can work in those companies and those companies can no longer employ them and they have to go out and then try to figure out how they go from there,” DeWine said.
He added that the state continues to provide resources to take to strain off the healthcare systems in Springfield and help with driver’s training and education.
News Center 7 will continue to follow this story.
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