The Human Cost of Xenophobia: How Trump's Policies Devastated a Community In small towns across America, the story of Haitian youths in Springfield, Ohio, serves as a stark reminder of the human cost of xenophobic policies.
The recent death of 20 year old Pierre Damas Bel, who took his own life after being forced to wear an ankle monitor due to Trump's administration's cancellation of temporary protected status (TPS), has shaken the community.
The Haitian presence in Springfield was not a new phenomenon but rather a result of economic necessity. The city, like many others, had been grappling with declining populations and aging demographics.