Thousands of Haitian nationals with Temporary Protected Status (TPS) have found a home in the Hoosier city of Logansport — drawing national political ire and motivating new federal legislation.
But area officials — and Gov. Eric Holcomb — say the north-central city of 18,000 isn’t in crisis.
“Are there challenges? Absolutely,” Rep. Ethan Manning, R-Logansport, said. “Is it as bad as some of the national media is portraying it? No.”
A political action committee supporting Donald Trump for president on Tuesday highlighted Logansport in a campaign missive. Also on Tuesday Third District GOP Congressman Jim Banks also cited Logansport when filing a bill cracking down on immigration.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security can designate people from another country for TPS when conditions there are so bad that nationals can’t return safely, or the country can’t adequately oversee their return, according the agency’s website.
Sixteen countries are on the list, including Haiti. It’s set to expire in early 2026 after a recent redesignation by DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
Last month, the U.S. State Department updated its “do not travel” advisory for Haiti — the most severe warning available — citing civil unrest, crimes and kidnappings. The agency noted there’s limited health care in cases of injury or illness and said shortages of gasoline, electricity and medical supplies are common.
Logansport Mayor Chris Martin has previously estimated that 2,000 to 3,000 Haitian people have come to the city in the last four years. He wasn’t available for comment Wednesday.
Manning said Martin and Police Chief Travis Yike had reported no increase in violent crime. But, he noted an increase in traffic violations.
Manning also recounted speaking with Tyson Foods officials, who run a meat processing plant in Logansport. He said Haitian employees aren’t on Medicaid since Tyson offers health insurance starting “day one,” and that the company doesn’t provide free housing or large-scale transportation.
Logansport Community School Corporation Superintendent Michele Starkey said the district was “operating as normal” and is “not overrun” in comments last week to the Pharos-Tribune.
The district has an estimated 205 Haitian students this school year, according to the publication, and 93 are new.
Starkey was unfazed. She described how a “fast and furious” influx of Hispanic residents about 25 years ago has prepared the district to better serve immigrant students.
“Now, when we get a new group of immigrants that we haven’t had, we know what to do,” she told the Pharos-Tribune. “We meet kids where they are and figure out how to plug them in to our system according to what their needs are.”
Manning agreed.
“Certainly, there are more Haitians than we’ve had before, but immigration generally is nothing new to Logansport. We’ve had roughly 30% Hispanic population within the city for a long time,” he said. “Our schools have been over 50% English language learners for several years. They’ve got an awesome program for newcomers, their teachers are trained, and they’ve made it work.”
But he desired more resources, like English language-learning funding, to support the city’s efforts.
Manning is also concerned about hospital resources as births have jumped and a Haitian Creole interpreter was hired to help.
“It’s not like we’re a sanctuary city. We’re not going to turn away the feds if they want to come in and check things out,” he said. “But my focus is on making sure the hospital, the schools (and) local governments have the resources necessary to deal with a problem we didn’t create.”
Some national outlets have seized on Logansport as a “tiny town” being “overwhelmed” by Haitian newcomers.
It’s making political waves, particularly among Republicans working at the federal level.
“American towns and cities are being completely overrun by migrants let into our country by (Vice President) Kamala (Harris),” read a Tuesday news release from the Make America Great Again political action committee. It cited a Fox News article.
“From schools to hospitals, government services are being overwhelmed. Many of these communities are also seeing an INCREASE IN CRIME,” the release continued.” Kamala has shown us time and time again, she puts migrants above American citizens. With President Trump, it’s America First always.”
Holcomb, a Republican, appeared to bristle at the accusations on Wednesday.
“Our immigration policy is largely federal, so if any ball has been dropped, it’s been at the federal level,” he told the Capital Chronicle.
“This is a country that was built on — literally founded and fought for — by immigrants,” Holcomb continued. “… When I look at the increase in Logansport itself, and you recognize the legal status of these immigrants that the light has been shown on, this is what the community has said: that we need and want more people to work and to grow our population.”
Manning acknowledged that the immigrants have helped Cass County buck the trend of rural population decline while also urging the federal government to help communities with resources. Overall, he said the community is split.
“I hear comments from both perspectives, both extremes, so I don’t know that there’s a single community response that I can point to.”
The spotlight on Logansport has motivated legislation. Banks, of Columbia City, introduced the ” End Executive Branch Amnesty Act” on Wednesday. It takes aim at TPS.
Third District U.S. Rep. Jim Banks addresses the Republican National Convention Tuesday July 16, 2024. (Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)
The bill would restrict designations to one year and require congressional approval. Congress would need to make extensions using dedicated acts.
It would also limit immigration parole to “case-by-case humanitarian emergencies,” with a “hard cap” of 1,000 people annually, according to the one-pager. Immigration parole is temporary federal authorization allowing noncitizens to enter or remain in the U.S. for humanitarian reasons.
The legislation includes provisions tightening policies for unaccompanied minors and banning the use of DHS-issued documents as valid identification in airport security checks. It would repeal “cancellation of removal,” in which migrants can ask judges for status adjustments.
“Small towns across our nation like Logansport, Indiana, are bearing the brunt of the Biden-Harris White House’s reckless open border policies. It’s time for Congress to secure our border once and for all,” Banks said in a news release.
He accused President Joe Biden’s administration of having “abused the laws on the books to grant millions of non-citizens legal status,” adding, “Republicans must restore our immigration system to Congress’s original intent and ensure parole is only used as a last-ditch humanitarian measure to help foreign nationals in times of catastrophe.”
By Leslie Bonilla Muñiz, Niki Kelly and Casey Smith —The Indiana Capital Chronicle is an independent, not-for-profit news organization that covers state government, policy and elections.
