Lockland, Ohio, a small suburb with a population of around 3,500, has become a focal point for a significant influx of migrants from Mauritania, with about 3,000 arriving over the past year.
This unexpected demographic shift is largely attributed to TikTok videos and WhatsApp groups that provide information on how to reach the area, the New York Post reported.
Mayor Mark Mason has expressed his frustration with the federal government’s open border policies, stating that the local community is ill-equipped to handle such a drastic population increase.
“With the federal government’s open border policy, these immigration population outbursts have been left for small villages like Lockland to have to deal with,” Mayor Mark Mason told WCPO.
Mason said that without proper guidance and resources from federal authorities, towns like Lockland are left to manage the consequences of these immigration surges alone.
The town has seen its housing and emergency services stretched to their limits.
Many of the new arrivals desperately need resources, and local officials report that the community’s housing capacity is severely overwhelmed.
Mason noted that most of these migrants are still awaiting work permits, which can take over a year to process. This leaves them unable to contribute to the local economy or tax base. This situation has created a financial strain, with the town anticipating a shortfall of approximately $200,000 in income tax revenue.
The local fire department has reported a 12% increase in emergency calls, primarily related to cooking fires in overcrowded apartments, where some units house more than a dozen people.
Fire Chief Doug Wehmeyer highlighted the challenges of responding to emergencies in these conditions, mainly when communication barriers exist due to language differences, as many migrants speak Arabic and French.
“If you look at a response map of our area, there are two bright red hot zones on the heat map and that heat map would show you the two apartment complexes that the majority of the Mauritanians are living at,” Wehmeyer said.
Similarly, the police department is grappling with minor public safety issues, which have increased as new residents acclimate to their surroundings.
Mason insists that the situation is not about the migrants’ nationalities but rather about the capacity of a small village to absorb such a rapid increase in population.
He also clarified that Lockland is not benefiting financially from this influx; it is costing the town more than it gains. Despite reaching out for federal assistance, local leaders have yet to receive meaningful support, leaving them to navigate the complexities of this unprecedented situation largely on their own.