SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - Former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy spoke with Fox News Digital about why he decided to host a town hall in Springfield, Ohio, which had been at the center of a political firestorm.
"I wanted to hear 360 degrees, all perspectives," Ramaswamy told Fox News Digital ahead of the town hall on Thursday. "I don't blame the people who live here. I blame the federal policies that created the conditions that are causing people in this community to suffer."
Springfield, a city of roughly 60,000 residents, had been hit with an influx of 20,000 Haitian migrants as a result of the Biden-Harris administration granting them legal status through a parole program, leading to strained resources for the education and health care system as well as social services.
Ramaswamy, an Ohio native who grew up just outside of Springfield, had met with city officials as well as leaders of the Haitian community, calling the meetings "productive."
"For me, this is close to home," Ramaswamy said. "I spent a lot of time here as a kid. I've gone to Mike & Rosie's, probably bought more subs from there than I can remember. I used to play tennis every summer at Wittenberg in a program every time when I was growing up. That's where we would come."
"It's about an hour from where I grew up. It's less than an hour drive from where I am now. So if I'm aiming to be a leader in public life and uniting this country- no, I'm not gonna turn my back on the places where I grew up and the places that are a stone's throw from where I live right now as well."
He also took a swipe at the media's coverage of Springfield, accusing the press of denying the suffering of the city's residents by hyper-focusing on specific narratives.
"We can't let them get away with that," Ramaswamy told Fox News Digital. "I don't believe a lot of those media narratives. So I wanted to show up and hear directly from the residents themselves."
HAITIAN INFLUX CAUSING ONE MAJOR SAFETY CONCERN AMONG SPRINGFIELD RESIDENTS
Many residents at the town hall raised concerns about safety and crime in Springfield and accused city officials of not caring about the plight of their constituents. Ramaswamy defended city officials, based on his takeaway from his meeting with some of them.
"I actually think they do care, at least the subset I met with," Ramaswamy said. "But I will tell you what I do see happening in the country. I think there's a culture of fear, actually. I think the reason they're not here tonight is not because they don't care about this, it's because they're scared."
"These are just good, patriotic Americans who love their country and city who are struggling, because the people who they elected to run their federal government all the way down have let them down. And you don't have to be scared of actually being face to face with your fellow citizens," he added.
