In this closely fought midterm election campaign, the small town of Springfield, Ohio, has become a symbol of modern America.
asserted
town → fight → America
But it is a symbol that changes dramatically depending on who is describing it.
asserted
who → change → it
To President Donald Trump, Springfield crystallises America's problems due to years of unchecked immigration.
asserted
Springfield → crystallise → immigration
He once echoed a false claim that Haitian immigrants were eating pets here.
uncertain
immigrants → echo → pets
Today, he says his mass deportation drive means its people are "getting their town back".
asserted
people → say → town
But to others, Springfield represents a well-known cycle in the story of modern America.
asserted
Springfield → represent → America
This story contains some distressing details
Pierre Damas Bel, 20, arrived in Springfield to join his father and stepmother in 2024.
He fled his native Haiti, which was gripped by political instability and gang warfare.
asserted
which → contain → instability
He entered the US with the government's permission under a now-defunct Biden-era programme for migrants waiting in Mexico.
asserted
He → enter → Mexico
Bel, according to a family friend, then received a humanitarian protection called Temporary Protected Status (TPS), which gives vetted individuals the right to live and work in the United States.
uncertain
which → accord → States
TPS usually lasts 18 months but is routinely rolled over, often for years, if the danger remains in the affected country.
asserted
danger → last → country
Bel aspired to build a life in America, the friend said.
asserted
friend → aspire → America
He was an honours student, talented athlete and cadet in a high school programme training students to become officers in the US Armed Forces.
asserted
He → train → Forces
But in June, the Supreme Court upheld the Trump administration's decision to end TPS for some 350,000 Haitians in the US.
asserted
Court → uphold → US
Bel was told to report to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) field office where he was fitted with an ankle monitor which is used to track migrants facing deportation.
asserted
which → tell → deportation
He wrote on Instagram that he felt "shame and humiliation" at having to wear the tag.
asserted
he → write → tag
And on 31 August, he parked his car on the side of a highway near Springfield, walked into oncoming traffic and was killed.
asserted
he → park → traffic
His family blamed his death on his feelings at having to wear the ankle monitor.
asserted
family → blame → monitor
The Department for Homeland Security (DHS) did not respond to questions from the BBC about Bel's case.
asserted
Department → respond → case
ICE has previously rejected "any attempt to blame ICE for the death".
asserted
ICE → reject → death
"Remaining in the country illegally, while fighting removal, is a choice.
asserted
Remaining → remain → removal
Leaving with a free flight home and $2,600 is also a choice," a spokesperson told US media earlier this year when asked about the case.
asserted
spokesperson → leave → case
In the weeks before his death, Bel attended a Springfield support centre for Haitians facing deportation.
asserted
Bel → attend → deportation
Its co-founder, Viles Dorsainvil, told the BBC that Bel had been in the process of filing a motion asking ICE to remove the tag.
asserted
Bel → tell → tag
"He went twice to the ICE facilities… begging them to remove the ankle monitor," he said.
asserted
he → go → monitor
"He did everything right to be here until they put the tag on him."
asserted
they → do → him
In total, more than a million immigrants from 13 countries have had TPS terminated by the Trump administration.
asserted
TPS → have → administration
The changes meant many went from being legal to unauthorised migrants overnight.
asserted
many → mean → migrants
In 2024, Trump made securing the border and the mass deportation of undocumented migrants core pledges in his election campaign.
asserted
securing → make → campaign
Polls suggest the border policy continues to have strong support among Republicans, but the nature of his immigration enforcement campaign has seen a drop in backing this year.
asserted
nature → suggest → backing
Ohio has become a swing state in the coming midterm Congressional elections, and one of two Republican-held Senate seats is up for grabs.
asserted
one → become → grabs
Trump has visited the state twice already in an attempt to rally turnout and counter a slide in his approval ratings.
asserted
Trump → visit → ratings
At a rally in Youngstown, Ohio, earlier this month, Trump returned to the topic of Springfield.
asserted
Trump → return → Springfield
"You have a little town, beautiful little town in Ohio where they dropped about 35,000 Haitians.
asserted
they → have → Haitians
Well, they're being taken out and they're almost going to be gone and we're giving their town back," he said to cheers.
asserted
he → take → cheers
The Trump administration first announced in June 2025 that it would be removing the TPS for Haitians, and the ensuing legal battle went all the way to the Supreme Court, which ruled in its favour in the summer.
asserted
which → announce → summer
"The T in TPS stands for TEMPORARY, yet many of these designations became de facto amnesty," James Percival, the general counsel for the Department of Homeland Security, said after the court's ruling.
asserted
Percival → stand → ruling
In a social media post in August, the Department of Homeland Security posted a video of Haitians in chains wearing white uniforms being led onto a deportation flight.
asserted
Haitians → post → flight
The video, accompanied by jaunty music, told Haitians whose TPS had expired to "LEAVE IMMEDIATELY".
asserted
TPS → accompany → Haitians
The Trump administration has said it is conducting law enforcement operations in the town to keep Americans safe.
asserted
it → say → Americans
It has also argued that Haiti is safe enough to return to.
asserted
Haiti → argue → ?
…and 44 more, not listed.
The Aporia
