CNN Correspondent Omar Jimenez premieres a deeper look at the consequences of a right-wing conspiracy theory given a national platform playing out in Southwestern Ohio.
Since 2020, roughly 12,000 Haitian immigrants have moved to Springfield, a city once struggling to find workers. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and running mate J.D. Vance have spent a large portion of their campaign targeting these legal immigrants, spreading misinformation and threatening to deport them if elected. In "Why Springfield?" Jimenez takes viewers inside this community, speaking with lifetime residents, business owners, local authorities, and the immigrants who are now facing harassment and threats to their safety.
Haitian immigrants describe the horrific conditions they fled in Haiti and the new threats they now face in Ohio. Community members reveal how Haitian immigrants have revitalized the local economy, allowing businesses' workforces to expand, housing development to grow, and retail to thrive. Jimenez also speaks with Republican Governor of Ohio Mike DeWine about the impact of Haitian immigrants on the state and what could happen if they were to leave.