Vivek Ramaswamy addresses immigration concerns at Springfield town hall

Former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy held a town hall event in Springfield on Thursday evening, drawing a packed house of over 200 people to discuss immigration issues.

"I don't actually blame any of the 70,000 people in Springfield for the mess in the city," Ramaswamy said.

Springfield has been grappling with the challenge of assimilating thousands of Haitian immigrants, reflecting a broader national issue.

"After meeting with a bunch of them today, I don't even blame the 12,000 to 20,000 Haitian migrants who were brought here by unconscionable means. I blame the federal policies," Ramaswamy added.

Ramaswamy emphasized the importance of including diverse voices in the conversation to understand the problems they face.

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"We try and get in a hospital and it's at 100% capacity," one attendee said.

"We now have an influx of people coming into these schools that the focus is on them because they have not assimilated, they do not know the culture, they do not know the language," another participant added. "What is happening to our kids is not fair."

Another participant expressed concerns about the number of migrants.

"One thing we should be united on is there's simply too many mass migrants here. So we need fewer migrants in this town; we can't absorb them," the participant said. "We need to take some of the money given to them and give it to people in the community who have been harmed by this."

Attendees also voiced frustration that city leaders were not present.

"They don't really know, if they're not living on the side of town, what really goes on," one attendee said.

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Ramaswamy responded, "We sat there for an hour with the city council after we met with the Haitian group. I think they really do care, at least the subset I met with. I think the reason they're not here is not because they don't care about it; I think it's because they're scared."

Ramaswamy also called for significant policy changes, backed by former President Trump.

"We've had the largest influx of illegal immigrants in American history, then it stands to reason we should have the largest mass deportation," he said. "If you're going to pick a limited number, you may as well pick the ones who are most likely able to assimilate, most likely to participate in economic action, and those who are able to actually integrate their kids into the schools."

Despite the heated topics, tempers remained mostly in check.

"This is my minute," an attendee yelled during an exchange about faith-based groups bringing in immigrants.

After the event, Ramaswamy expressed optimism about Springfield's future.

"I hope that Springfield's best days are ahead," Ramaswamy said. "I think there is a lot of common ground and agreement; it'd be a lost opportunity if we believe everyone is divided. We're not nearly as divided as we actually have to be."