Local frustration grows over false information about immigrant community

No, 25,000 Haitian immigrants have not been bused into Logansport.

Mayor Chris Martin opened Wednesday’s board of works meeting with a statement addressing the many rumors swirling around the city on social media in regard to fast-spreading misinformation concerning immigrants.

“The rumors recently spread through social media are disappointing,” the mayor began. “It’s disappointing that we must address the rumors due to the belief of a social media ‘satire’ page. This is slowing down local government from solving concerns and challenges.”

Martin addressed several points including that the federal or state government has not asked the city to house a minority group, no local government money has been directed to one minority group in the community and local government officers didn’t bring anyone into the city nor do they have the power in removing anyone from the community.

“The circumstances are being misrepresented and we are gathering data, talking with community leaders, state officials and are in contact with the governor’s office,” he said.

Martin said he would formally ask the federal government to assist the community. After the meeting, he clarified the city would ask for financial aid to help any local programs that may be overtaxed.

While 25,000 immigrants were not bused into the city, Martin said the population had increased by 30% since 2021.

“We are a diverse community and have been for a very long time,” he said. “Our community is aware of a large number of immigrants. I’m asking that citizens please refrain from false statements, especially those that threaten the lives of others.”

Logansport Police chief Travis Yike also made a statement at the Board of Works meeting.

Yike said the police department had not been asked by himself or the mayor to change how they enforce criminal and traffic laws or city ordinances.

“We will continue to treat the residents of our community with dignity and respect on or off duty,” he said. “We do not use stereotypes, racial profiling or discrimination to do our jobs. Our officers will continue to do their jobs with integrity and professionalism.”

Before the meeting, Yike said that while there has been a population increase since 2021, there had been no increase in crime and many different types of criminal activity in Logansport had actually dropped.

Yike reassured citizens that Logansport remained a safe community.

Logansport is not a sanctuary city. In May, Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita threatened legal action against any city that had a sanctuary city ordinance, specifically focusing on the communities of East Chicago, Gary, West Lafayette and Monroe County.

Misinformation began to spread nationally when Republican vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance said incorrectly that Haitian immigrants were eating pets in Springfield, Ohio. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump then repeated the claim during the presidential debate on Sept. 10.

The comments led to bomb threats at Springfield schools and businesses for several days.

Vance’s campaign later shared a police report with the “Wall Street Journal” that had been filed by a Springfield resident alleging that their missing cat had been abducted by her Haitian neighbors.

A reporter from the “Wall Street Journal” then traveled to Springfield to verify the claim with the person who reported the pet abduction and learned the pet actually returned to its owner days later.

“The Springfield News-Sun” also reported on Wednesday that three grocery stores had to close due to bomb threats.

Lewis Cass, Pioneer and Caston superintendents confirmed that safety plans were in place should a bomb threat occur at their schools, but there had been no issues so far.

“I just spoke to our (student resource officer) to double check, but we are not hearing anything in our area about this issue,” said Pioneer superintendent Chuck Grable. “There have been a rash of threats across Indiana towards schools the past couple of weeks, but they have all been students posting threats on social media about the school they attend and nothing to do with immigration. We’ve not had either type of threat here. We continually discuss the issue and potential, and how we would handle them. We try to regularly do table-top exercises in our administration team meetings and sometimes staff meetings to discuss how we handle different scenarios.”

Michele Starkey, the Logansport Community School Corporation superintendent, was in Lafayette Wednesday and was unavailable for comment.

Zach Szmara, of The Bridge, also took to Facebook Tuesday to share his story about how he and his family came to Logansport and the work The Bridge does.

“Now, I also want to address a specific concern that’s been circulating—rumors about the Haitian community in Logansport,” he wrote. “We lament the stories and misinformation being spread. Almost all Haitians in our community have been granted Temporary Protected Status (TPS), which is a lawful immigration status. This means they are not undocumented, nor are they doing anything illegal. They have lawful status, work authorization and the ability to obtain driver’s licenses legally. Anyone suggesting otherwise simply doesn’t understand immigration policies and pathways.”

The Bridge is home to the Bridge Community Church and also Immigrant Connection, a legal office with a mission to provide high-quality, low-cost legal services to immigrants in Logansport and the surrounding communities.

“Let me be clear about what we do and do not do,” Szmara wrote. “We do not sponsor immigrants, transport, or bring them to our city, or provide housing or other services. Instead, we function like a nonprofit law firm, focusing solely on immigration law. Our work helps immigrants maintain lawful status (like renewing work permits so they can keep their jobs and driver’s licenses), reunite families (helping U.S. citizens bring their spouses, children, or parents from abroad), and navigate the complex steps toward becoming naturalized U.S. citizens. Every single thing we do is following current federal law, under the oversight of the DOJ.

“We’ve done this for 10 years, across multiple administrations—Republican and Democratic—and we remain focused on following immigration law and policies. Sometimes there are new lawful immigration pathways we can help individuals navigate,” he continued. “For example, when DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) was first introduced, we helped hundreds of local students, who had grown up here, apply for DACA status. Today, those individuals are contributing to our community—working, owning homes, and raising families.”

The Bridge did not respond to messages for further comment by press time.