Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost has directed his office to research legal avenues to stop the federal government from sending an unlimited number of migrants to Ohio communities, just as City of Columbus has been awarded federal grant of $6.6 million to provide shelter and services to immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers.

Attorney General Dave Yost directive comes in response to concerns from communities, particularly Springfield in Clark County, that have been inundated and overwhelmed by surging migrant populations. The sudden and extreme population growth has strained the city’s economic, medical and educational systems.

“This is absurd – Springfield has swollen by more than a third due to migrants,” Yost said. “How many people can they be expected to take? What are the limits to the federal government’s power? Could the federal government simply funnel into Ohio all the millions of migrants flooding in under the current administration’s watch?

“There’s got to be a limiting principle. We’re going to find a way to get this disaster in front of a federal judge.”

Yost said his office will exhaust all possibilities to address the worsening situation.

“The problem is not migrants, it is way, way too many migrants in a short period of time,” Yost said.

“The problem is a massive increase in the population without any communication or assistance from the federal government.”

In addition to straining available resources, locals have complained of migrants causing car crashes, stealing property – including livestock, squatting in homes and killing wildlife for food.

“Ohio is a great place to work and live,” Yost said.

“But overwhelming our small towns with massive migrant populations without any coordination or assistance from the federal government is changing that in front of our eyes.”

Meanwhile, the City of Columbus has been awarded new federal resources to aid some of the city’s newest and most vulnerable neighbors. The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Shelter and Services Program has awarded the city a $6.6 million grant to provide shelter for immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers.

Federal funding granted by the Department of Homeland Security’s Shelter and Services Program allows Columbus to serve rising demand for critical services from individuals navigating the immigration process.

This funding will build upon the partnerships developed during the Colonial Village rehousing effort between the city, Community Shelter Board and community partners to expand capacity to provide shelter and material assistance to vulnerable migrants who face unique barriers to gaining stability.

“This new federal funding aligns with what we are already experiencing here in Columbus– an increasing number of refugees and immigrants arriving in our community in search of safe harbor and a new start. This grant ensures that the city will be able to address the immediate humanitarian needs of these families without placing additional pressure on our existing shelter system,” said Mayor Andrew J. Ginther.

In total, Columbus will receive $6,682,210 over three years.

The funding will fund humanitarian services, including shelter, for noncitizen migrants who have entered the country legally. It will also provide food, transportation, acute medical care, clothing, translation and outreach services to these Columbus neighbors.

In late 2023, Columbus faced the mass displacement of hundreds of Haitian migrants housed in the Colonial Village Apartments. If the City had not provided funding to shelter the more than 1300 displaced individuals in nine hotels, Central Ohio’s regional shelter system would have been overwhelmed.

The Department of Development applied for the grant in January of 2024 as part of the department’s ongoing response and humanitarian efforts to aid efforts to this population.

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