In small towns across the Midwest, an influx of migrants under Biden-Harris immigration policies is pushing local resources to the brink, leaving residents feeling forced to abandon the communities they once called home.
Across the Midwest, small towns are straining under a wave of new arrivals, with residents saying they feel pressured to leave as their communities transform under the Biden-Harris administration’s immigration policies. Lockland, Ohio, a town of only 3,400, has absorbed nearly 3,000 migrants, primarily from Mauritania. The sudden influx has overwhelmed local resources and led to a sense of upheaval that Mayor Mark Mason Sr. warns is unsustainable.
The impact on town services has been stark, as Mason detailed, citing strain on fire and emergency services responding to numerous fires stemming from unfamiliar cooking practices. “Many long-time residents have left because of the unsafe conditions,” Mason told reporters. Residents report that crowded apartments and frequent emergency calls have become the norm, with loitering and cultural tensions escalating further challenges.
Residents like Kelly, who has lived in Lockland for years, now refer to their apartment complex as “the African village” due to the large concentration of Mauritanian migrants. She recounted how groups of men often gather in the streets, sometimes in intimidatingly large numbers, and noted her discomfort navigating her own neighborhood. “They don’t move out of your way when you’re driving. They don’t seem to care,” she said.
The federal government’s Safe Mobility Initiative, fast-tracking migrants through collaboration with the United Nations, is a driving factor behind this influx, according to a House Judiciary Committee report. The Biden-Harris administration, working with UN agencies, has established “Safe Mobility Offices” in several Latin American countries, enabling migrants to bypass the U.S.-Mexico border and settle directly in communities across America. Mayor Mason has been vocal in his frustration, saying, “A village of 1.2 square miles can just not absorb almost a doubling in population. It’s unsustainable.”
This policy has not only strained Lockland but other small towns, including Logansport, Indiana, and Charleroi, Pennsylvania. Residents in these areas are similarly concerned about safety, cultural adjustments, and an overtaxed infrastructure.
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