Arriving in the city that former US President Donald Trump put on the international radar, there are signs it has seen better days.

Springfield, Ohio, was once a manufacturing center. Today, people know this from Trump’s comments during the September presidential debate, when he famously – and falsely – told an audience of 67 million that Haitians were eating their pets, making echoing the assertions that had circulated on social networks.

The local economy began to suffer when factories closed and jobs were lost. The population fell. By 2015, that figure had fallen to just under 60,000, down from 80,000 in the 1960s and 1970s.

That created a critical gap for CEO Ross McGregor, whose company, Pentaflex, makes safety-related parts for trucks, like brakes, some of which also ship to Canada.

The labor shortage was at its worst three years ago, following the pandemic, McGregor told CTV National News at the factory.

And when there wasn’t enough space to meet employment needs, he relied on workers from the recently settled Haitian community, which had arrived legally and now made up about a quarter of Springfield’s population.

Omar Sachedina, chief anchor and editor of CTV National News, speaks with Ross McGregor, CEO of Pentaflex, in Springfield, Ohio.

“Before the Haitians arrived, we had difficulty finding people who could come every day, stay and do their job.” He said he’s had trouble retaining workers and told stories of employees taking a break and simply not coming back.

“The business would not grow without the reliable workforce we depend on,” he added. “You can’t plan for production needs without a reliable workforce. »

But the surge has placed high demands on a city that was unprepared to handle the influx, and some who have lived here for decades point the finger at the city’s new residents.

“We faced real problems with the influx of 15,000 new arrivals from a completely different culture: health and education problems,” he said.

And then came Trump’s comments, sparking a rise in racist and anti-immigrant attitudes.

“What’s happening right now is like they’re scared, like they want to leave. They don’t know what will happen after the elections,” said Martine Metelus, a Haitian who lives in Springfield. for years.

Yves Pierre, a Haitian from Springfield, Ohio, speaks to CTV National News at Rose Goute Creole restaurant.

The Creole restaurant Rose Goute opened its doors last August. Owner Rosene Roman and several customers sat down to tell CTV National News what it was like after Trump’s comments.

“I mean, it really hurts to hear that from him, to say that Haitians ate cats and dogs. But I’m not afraid of anything,” Yves Pierre said.

“He’s worthless,” he said, referring to former US President Donald Trump, who “would say anything to get someone to vote for him.”

Omar Sachedina, chief anchor and editor of CTV National News, speaks to a group of residents in Springfield, OH, about Trump’s false claims that Haitians eat pets.

Others said they fled gang violence, political instability and natural disasters in their home countries. Now they are afraid of having to flee again.

In French, restaurant boss Dieff-son Lebon said he plans to leave if Trump is elected on Tuesday.

Roman added that some customers are deliberately seeking out her restaurant now to support her since the lies spread.

Back at Pentaflex, McGregor wondered how Trump, who is banking on his pro-business identity, could harm him with his comments.

“I think a lot of the policies he promotes may or may not be good for the community, but you can’t deny the basic need for a reliable workforce,” he said. “And anyone who doesn’t know that, I wonder.”