Ohio Republican Governor Mike DeWine said that he does not oppose the federal program under which thousands of Haitians have been sent to the town of Springfield, Ohio, and instead announced new traffic and healthcare resources to handle the phenomenon.

More than 15,000 individuals from Haiti have been sent in the last four years to Springfield, a town which was previously home to 60,000 people, placing tremendous strain on the local housing market and public resources, as well as causing upticks in criminality and traffic incidents. DeWine said at a Tuesday press conference that he does not necessarily oppose the Temporary Protected Status program that allows the Haitians to remain in the United States.

“We have a long history in this country, throughout most of my life, maybe before, when we see a situation in a country that is dire, and we see people flee from that country or want to flee from that country,” DeWine commented. “We have created special programs, special policies.”

DeWine instead revealed that the state government would provide more troopers and patrol cars to handle traffic incidents in Springfield, as well as devote more funds to healthcare resources, vaccinations, health screenings, and translation services for the Haitians.

"I want the people of Springfield and Clark County to know that as we move forward, we will continue to do everything we can to help the community deal with this surge of migrants," he continued. "The federal government has not demonstrated that they have any kind of plan.”

Ohio Republican Attorney General David Yost meanwhile directed his office to “research legal avenues to stop the federal government from sending an unlimited number of migrants” into the town of Springfield and other communities, noting that the Haitians have squatted in properties as well as killed wildlife and livestock for food. Yost nevertheless insisted in a statement that “the problem is not migrants, it is way, way too many migrants in a short period of time.”

The influx of Haitians into the town of Springfield comes as immigration emerges as a central issue in the current election cycle. The phenomenon also occurs as members of prison gangs based in Venezuela overrun apartment complexes in Colorado and a hotel in Texas.