The Ohio Council of Churches expressed solidarity with Haitian migrants and condemned rumors about them eating people's pets.

Businesses needed workers, and Haitians, many already authorized to work, heard living costs were low. But the newcomers have strained resources, and that has fueled tension.

Haitian immigrants have moved to Springfield, Ohio, in recent years, seeing an opportunity to rebuild in the area after escaping mass violence and poverty back home in Haiti. This week, the community was unwittingly flung into the national spotlight after former President Donald Trump and his running mate JD Vance repeated unsubstantiated claims that some immigrants in the Ohio