Ohio attorney general wants migrant issues decided in court

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost wants to stop the federal government from sending unlimited migrants to the state.

Yost said Monday he directed his staff to find legal ways to stop the influx of migrants after communities around the state have complained of being inundated and overwhelmed.

Springfield, in southeastern Ohio, has complained for months about large numbers of migrants putting stress on the city’s housing. Earlier this summer, City Manager Bryan Heck sent a letter to U.S. Sens. Tim Scott, R-S.C., and Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, asking for help.

“This is absurd. Springfield has swollen by more than a third,” Yost said. “How many people can they be expected to take? What are the limits to the federal government’s power? Could the federal government simply funnel into Ohio all the millions of migrants flooding in under the current administration’s watch? There’s got to be a limiting principle. We’re going to find a way to get this disaster in front of a federal judge.”

Springfield’s migrant issues, according to Heck, come from an explosion of migrants from Haiti, which has increased the city’s Haitian population to between 15,000 and 20,000 over the last four years.

Springfield is a city of 60,000 people.

“The problem is not migrants, it is way, way too many migrants in a short period of time,” Yost said. “The problem is a massive increase in the population without any communication or assistance from the federal government.”

Yost also said communities are complaining about the strain on resources and migrants causing car crashes, stealing property – including livestock, squatting in homes and killing wildlife for food.

“Ohio is a great place to work and live,” Yost said. “But overwhelming our small towns with massive migrant populations without any coordination or assistance from the federal government is changing that in front of our eyes.”