Page 123 – Texas Weekly Online

Trump makes play for blue-leaning state as he briefly detours from the battlegrounds

It’s been two decades since a Republican carried New Mexico in a presidential election. You’ve got to go back to President George W. Bush’s 2004 re-election. But former President Trump, making a brief detour from campaigning in the seven crucial battleground states that will likely determine whether he or Vice President Kamala becomes the next president, parachuted into the one-time swing state that now leans blue. “Look, I’m only here for one reason,” Trump told supporters Thursday at a rally in Albuquerque, the state’s largest city. CHECK OUT THE LATEST FOX NEWS POWER RANKINGS IN THE 2024 ELECTION “They said, ‘Oh, a Republican can’t win that state.’ They say a Republican can’t win. But you know what? We’re going to win it,” the former president optimistically predicted. Trump also said his stop in New Mexico was good for his “credentials” with Hispanic voters. WHAT THE MOST RECENT FOX NEWS POLLS SHOW IN THE HARRIS-TRUMP SHOWDOWN “I’m here for one simple reason. I like you very much, and it’s good for my credentials with the Hispanic or Latino community,” he argued. The former president is facing backlash from some Latino voters after a comedian speaking at his large rally in New York City Sunday called Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage.” There hasn’t been an abundance of polling in New Mexico, but most recent surveys indicate the vice president with an upper single-digit lead over the former president. Although one survey suggested a tighter contest for the state’s five electoral votes. With time such a precious commodity for presidential campaigns and the clock quickly ticking toward Election Day, New Mexico Democrats said Trump’s trip to the state — his first in five years — is a fool’s errand. “Trump is wasting his time coming to our state as polling shows New Mexicans are set to reject his MAGA extremism and divisive rhetoric yet again,” Democratic Party of New Mexico spokesperson Daniel Garcia claimed in a statement ahead of the former president’s trip. Referring to the Oct. 31 stop in Albuquerque by the former president, Garcia took a verbal shot at Trump, saying “a rotund orange mass will be in Albuquerque on Halloween, and we’re not talking about a pumpkin.” Trump urged his supporters to get out and vote, saying, “New Mexico. Look, don’t make me waste a whole damn half a day here, OK.” While the former president’s New Mexico rally five days before Election Day may not boost him in the battle for the state’s five electoral votes, it could boost Republicans down ballot. Nella Domenici, the 2024 GOP Senate nominee and the daughter of New Mexico’s last Republican senator, is trying to defeat Democratic Sen. Martin Heinrich, who is running in November for a third six-year term, as her party works to win back the chamber’s majority. “Trump is definitely going to help us with the independents,” Domenici predicted in a Fox News Digital interview on the eve of the former president’s visit. “People are really excited to have Trump come here.” Domenici, who spoke at the Trump rally, emphasized that “it definitely excites the base hugely, and the base is kind of a growing term.” Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

Pro-Trump super PAC hits Harris with blistering closing ad in crucial swing states: ‘Dangerous’

FIRST ON FOX: A pro-Trump super PAC has launched a closing message ad against Vice President Kamala Harris in battleground states focusing on illegal immigration, the economy and the Biden-Harris agenda. The 60-second ad, which will be run at high frequency in Michigan and Wisconsin through Election Day, was produced by Preserve America PAC and starts off with Harris being asked on “The View” if she would have done anything “differently” than Biden over the last four years. Before Harris answers, the ad plays clips of Biden being pressed in an interview about poor economic numbers and clips of tens of thousands of illegal immigrants crossing the border as Biden was set to end Title 42. The ad then includes clips highlighting crimes allegedly committed by illegal immigrants in the United States, including the murder of 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray in Texas. BIDEN ADMIN FACES MOUNTING PRESSURE TO DISMANTLE MIGRANT PAROLE PROGRAM AMID ‘STRESS’ ON SMALL TOWNS “It’s going to be chaotic for a while,” Biden says in a clip after Nungaray’s face is shown on the screen. The ad then shifts to foreign policy, highlighting the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan where 13 U.S. service members were killed. THE FATAL FLAW IN KAMALA HARRIS’ SPEECH, MARRED BY BIDEN’S ‘GARBAGE’ COMMENT “There is not a thing that comes to mind,” Harris says at the end of the ad as she answers the initial question from the beginning of the ad. “And I’ve been a part of most of the decisions that have had impact.” The ad closes with the words, “Weak. Reckless. Dangerous. That’s the Biden-Harris agenda.” Preserve America PAC has spent over $110 million on ads targeted to Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin starting during the Summer Olympics shortly after Harris entered the race. “After opening our border and ruining our economy, Kamala deserves to be fired and we’re working every day to prevent four more years of American ruin,” Preserve America PAC senior adviser David Carney told Fox News Digital. Fox News Digital reached out to the Harris-Walz campaign for comment but did not receive a response.

Trump sues CBS News for $10 billion alleging ‘deceptive doctoring’ of Harris’ ’60 Minutes’ interview

Trump sues CBS News for billion alleging ‘deceptive doctoring’ of Harris’ ’60 Minutes’ interview

EXCLUSIVE: Former President Trump is suing CBS News for $10 billion in damages, stating the network practiced “deceptive conduct” for the purpose of election interference in its interview with Vice President Kamala Harris. Fox News Digital exclusively obtained the lawsuit filed Thursday. Trump attorneys said the complaint comes due to “CBS’ partisan and unlawful acts of election and voter interference through malicious, deceptive, and substantial news distortion calculated to confuse, deceive, and mislead the public.” Trump attorneys also argued the edits were done in an effort to “attempt to tip the scales in favor of the Democratic Party as the heated 2024 Presidential Election — which President Trump is leading — approaches its conclusion.” ‘60 MINUTES’ UNDER FIRE FOR KAMALA HARRIS EDITING DECISION, HAS HISTORY OF LIBERAL CONTROVERSIES “President Trump brings this action to redress the immense harm caused to him, to his campaign, and to tens of millions of citizens in Texas and across America by CBS’s deceptive broadcasting conduct,” the lawsuit states. TRUMP SENDS LETTER TO CBS DEMANDING UNEDITED ‘60 MINUTES’ HARRIS TRANSCRIPT, TEASES POTENTIAL LAWSUIT The lawsuit comes after Trump’s attorneys wrote letters to CBS News demanding the network release the full transcript of the “60 Minutes” interview with Harris after it aired two different answers to the same question. Trump attorneys asked CBS to preserve all documents and communications related to the interview pending a potential legal battle. CBS News refused to release the full transcript, citing the First Amendment, and rejected the assertion that it had “doctored” the Harris interview to mislead the American people. The network insisted that “the interview was not doctored” and that the program “did not hide any part of the vice president’s answer to the question at issue.” The lawsuit filed Thursday specifically references the exchange Harris had with “60 Minutes” correspondent Bill Whitaker. In a preview clip that aired on “Face the Nation,” Harris was asked why it seemed like Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wasn’t listening to the U.S. “Well, Bill, the work that we have done has resulted in a number of movements in that region by Israel that were very much prompted by, or a result of, many things, including our advocacy for what needs to happen in the region,” Harris responded in the “Face the Nation” clip. CBS NEWS STATEMENT ON CONTROVERSIAL ’60 MINUTES’ EDIT FALLS FLAT ON SOCIAL MEDIA: ‘PUBLISH. THE. TRANSCRIPT.’ Harris was mocked by conservatives for offering a lengthy “word salad” to Whitaker. But when that same question aired the following night in the primetime election special, a shorter, more focused answer from the vice president followed. “We are not going to stop pursuing what is necessary for the United States to be clear about where we stand on the need for this war to end,” Harris said in the primetime special. FLASHBACK: CBS NEWS RELEASED A ‘FULL TRANSCRIPT’ OF VP HARRIS INTERVIEW IN 2021 THAT DIDN’T AIR ENTIRELY ON TV Critics accused CBS News of editing Harris’ “word salad” answer to shield the vice president from further backlash, and there have been growing calls for the network to release the full transcript after it only shared transcripts of what had aired. “To paper over Kamala’s ‘word salad’ weakness, CBS used its national platform on 60 Minutes to cross the line from the exercise of judgment in reporting to deceitful, deceptive manipulation of news,” the lawsuit states. Trump lawyers argue that news organizations “are responsible for accurately representing the truth of events, not distorting an interview to try and falsely make their preferred candidate appear coherent and decisive, which Kamala most certainly is not.” “Due to CBS’ actions, the public could not distinguish which Kamala they saw in the Interview: the candidate or the actual puppet of a behind-the-scenes editor,” the lawsuit states, noting that Whitaker’s question “was of the utmost public significance — U.S. foreign policy on the matter of the Israel/Gaza war — at a time of immense importance, mere weeks before the most critical presidential election in American history.” Trump is demanding a jury trial and at least $10 billion in damages for CBS’ alleged “ongoing false, misleading, and deceptive acts; the attorneys’ fees and costs associated with this action; and such other relief as the court deems just and proper.” CBS News did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. Fox News’ Brian Flood and Joseph Wulfsohn contributed to this report.

Fairgoers join Ken Paxton in suing Texas State Fair for allegedly violating their gun rights

Three fairgoers are requesting up to $1 million in damages and to allow guns at the State Fair.

‘Strong, conservative women’ strike back against Mark Cuban’s ‘insults’

Prominent conservative women are pushing back after billionaire and Harris campaign surrogate Mark Cuban for arguing that former President Donald Trump would never surround himself with “strong, intelligent women.” “@mcubanI’ve been a CEO and professional sports team owner JUST like you,” former Sen. Kelly Loeffler, R-Ga., said in response to Cuba on X Thursday. “I’m one of the millions of strong, conservative women who back Trump. You might think we’re stupid, or that we’re garbage. We think it’s time to replace you and Kamala with leaders who don’t hate us.” Loeffler’s comments come in response to Cuban’s remarks on ABC’s “The View” on Thursday morning. “Donald Trump, you never see him around strong, intelligent women. Ever,” Cuban said. “It’s just that simple. They’re intimidating to him. He doesn’t like to be challenged by them.” TRUMP CAMPAIGN BLASTS TOP HARRIS SURROGATE MARK CUBAN FOR ‘INSULTING’ PRO-TRUMP WOMEN The remarks were quickly condemned by the Trump campaign, with campaign national press secretary Karoline Leavitt calling the comment “insulting.” “This is extremely insulting to the thousands of women who work for President Trump, and the tens of millions of women who are voting for him,” Leavitt said. “These women are mothers, entrepreneurs, and industry leaders, and they are, indeed, strong and intelligent, despite what Mark Cuban and Kamala Harris say.” Speaking to Fox News Digital, Leavitt added that “joy at Kamala HQ has been replaced by division, vitriol, and a disturbing level of disrespect for the millions of Americans who are supporting President Trump after four years of destruction under Kamala Harris.” However, Loeffler and Leavitt weren’t the only conservative women to respond to Cuban, with many others take to X to voice their frustrations with the billionaire’s remarks. “I’ll take this seriously when @mcuban can define what a woman is,” conservative columnist Carly Bird said. BIDEN CALLS TRUMP SUPPORTERS ‘GARBAGE’ DURING HARRIS CAMPAIGN EVENT AS VP PROMISES UNITY AT ELLIPSE RALLY “More of the same condescending rhetoric from Harris allies,” said Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa. “This strong, intelligent woman voted for Donald J. Trump — and I’ve been proud to be on the road across this great country with @TeamTrump!” “Trying to think of a response to sissy man @mcuban but I’m too dumb and weak to do so,” quipped conservative columnist Julie Kelly. “Just when you think the Kamala camp can’t possibly alienate and divide people any more than they already have…now they attack women who support Trump. Nice job, Mark,” added Republican National Committee co-chair Lara Trump. Cuban’s comments came just a few days after President Biden apparently described Trump supporters as “garbage” during a Zoom call with Voto Latino on Tuesday. “The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters,” Biden said in response to comments made by comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, who called Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage” during Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden. The White House has denied that the president was referring directly to the former president’s supporters with the remark. Nevertheless, Trump has seized on the Biden comments, telling supporters in Wisconsin Wednesday that Democrats have expressed too much “hatred” towards those who disagree with them. “My response to Joe and Kamala is very simple: You can’t lead America if you don’t love Americans,” Trump said. “And you can’t be president if you hate the American people, and there’s a lot of hatred there.” The Harris campaign did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

Roughly 50% of Georgia voters have already cast ballots despite Dems’ criticism of state election rules

Roughly 50% of Georgia voters have cast ballots before Election Day so far despite Democrats’ accusations that the state’s voter laws are aimed at making it harder for people to vote. “It just shows you that they don’t know what they’re talking about,” Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, a Republican, told Fox News Digital Thursday. “They’re just using talking points is all they’re doing. All we wanted to do is make it easier to vote and harder to cheat. And that’s exactly what we did.” Nearly 3.6 million people, or about 50% of active voters, in the Peach State have cast ballots, either absentee or through early in-person voting, which runs from Oct. 15 through Nov. 1. FORMER REPUBLICAN US SENATOR ENDORSES KAMALA HARRIS, SAYS ELECTION OFFERS ‘STARK CHOICE’ Georgia voters have already shattered multiple turnout records, but that did little to temper Democratic critics of the new rules for the 2024 presidential cycle put in place by the state’s GOP officials. “I was just in Georgia. You know they passed a law that makes it illegal to give people food and water for standing in line to vote?” Vice President Kamala Harris told a rally crowd in Michigan earlier this week. “The hypocrisy abounds. Whatever happened to ‘love thy neighbor,’ right?” Meanwhile, President Biden called Georgia’s election security laws “Jim Crow 2.0” in 2022. “Jim Crow 2.0 is about two insidious things: voter suppression and election subversion. It’s no longer about who gets to vote; it’s about making it harder to vote. It’s about who gets to count the vote and whether your vote counts at all,” he told an audience in Atlanta at the time. And a group run by Stacey Abrams, who twice lost the gubernatorial race to GOP Gov. Brian Kemp, criticized Republicans for arguing there was no voter suppression in the state. GEORGIA DEMS CHAIR REVEALS MESSAGE TO UNDECIDED GOP VOTERS AS HARRIS WORKS TO BUILD BROAD BASE “We are thrilled about the strong turnout and especially the 150k newly registered voters who have already turned out, and the 70k voters who have come off the sidelines to vote this year, when they passed four years ago,” Lauren Groh-Wargo, CEO of Fair Fight, wrote on X last week. “But that cannot excuse the fact that the GOP has put up multiple, intentional, damaging roadblocks to deter certain voters. Luckily for democracy, they’ve decided to change lanes – but Republicans don’t get credit because voters have outsmarted their bad intentions.” She said GOP officials’ positivity about the state’s turnout is “all gaslighting” and “patently wrong.” ‘ILLEGAL, UNCONSTITUTIONAL AND VOID’: GEORGIA JUDGE STRIKES DOWN NEW ELECTION RULES AFTER LEGAL FIGHTS Georgia’s Republican-majority legislature passed several laws since 2020 to increase security around the voting process after the Peach State was thrust under scrutiny in the previous presidential race. Among them were measures to expand the ability to challenge voter eligibility, a rule limiting ballot drop boxes based on population size and, perhaps most notably, a measure forbidding political organizations from handing out food and drinks to voters waiting in line within a certain distance from a polling place. Election workers are, however, permitted to set up self-serve water stations. Among the Republicans to push back on Democrats’ criticism of the rules was Gabriel Sterling, the chief operating officer in the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office. “So over 50% of the turnout for 2020 has already voted in Georgia. So for people like Joe Biden & Stacey Abrams, you were wrong saying we had voter suppression here. It’s easy to register & vote in Georgia…and really hard to even try to cheat,” Sterling posted on X Oct. 25. And Kemp called out Harris for her criticism of Georgia’s rule on water and food. “Sounds like Kamala Harris just can’t handle the truth,” Kemp posted on X. “We made it easier to vote and harder to cheat in Georgia. As a result, more than 3 million Georgians have already voted — that’s 3 million more votes than the Vice President got in the 2024 primaries.” Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

‘Most consequential election’: PA lawmakers and national figures on Trump Bus Tour talk issues, voter fervor

On the closing day of a weeklong Team Trump bus tour through Pennsylvania, the coach — decaled with a giant number “47” and signatures from hundreds of voters it crossed paths with — pulled into Chambersburg near the Maryland line. Those aboard hoped the stop – just over the mountain from where the first Republican president delivered his Gettysburg Address – would help usher in the next. Rep. John Joyce, R-Pa., who represents a swath of southcentral Pennsylvania from Ebensburg to Shippensburg, said he was proud to see the 13th congressional district deliver the most votes to Trump than any other in the Commonwealth in 2020. “What I’m seeing; what I’m feeling is the common sense, conservative values that President Trump brings to the table; we here in Central Pennsylvania recognize that we need a secure border . . . to turn around the reckless inflation that is causing Pennsylvanians not to have the money to pay for gasoline and groceries.” TRUMP’S PERSONAL MESSAGE BEFORE ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT SPURRED ME TO ACTION: BUTLER-AREA MAYOR Joyce quipped that as a physician, he sees Trump keeping his “finger on the pulse” of what Americans need from their leader. State Sen. Doug Mastriano, R-Franklin County, Pennsylvania’s 2022 GOP gubernatorial nominee, echoed the sentiment. “This is the most consequential election of our lifetime. Our freedoms are on the line: The Democrats have weaponized the justice system,” he said. “They are dumping violent illegals onto our streets, attacking free speech; destroying our economy.” The retired Army colonel and Desert Storm veteran also warned that Democrats’ foreign policy has led the world to the “Brink of World War III.” “Whether you live in Chambersburg or Philadelphia, everybody needs to get out and vote if you want to make America free and strong.” One out-of-state figure on the tour was former California Lt. Gov. Abel Maldonado, who served under fellow Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. TRUMP CAMP TAKES VICTORY LAP FOLLOWING LEGAL WIN IN KEY STATE While “The Terminator” recently endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris, Maldonado spoke about how casting his vote for Trump in California was a proud moment, but a bit emotional for him and his wife. Maldonado said they knew their vote would not count much, as Harris is primed to win the Golden State. However, what he could do was travel Pennsylvania in support of Trump and hope to make a difference there, he said. When a few in the crowd initially jeered mention of California, when Maldonado said it was once governed by Ronald Reagan, the response turned to cheers. “Ronald Reagan was the last person besides President Trump who had an attempted assassination on him . . . and when he came out of the hospital, he said to the American people, ‘God had his hand on me’.” The son of Mexican immigrant farmers, Maldonado told the crowd at a later stop at state Rep. Barb Gleim’s farm near Mechanicsburg that the scene reminded him of his home and his family’s own farm. “Farmers are real people – this man greeted us at the gate, guided us and parked us – and he owns the place,” he said of Gleim’s husband, Tracy. TRUMP PLEDGES NEW US ‘GOLDEN AGE’ AS HE RALLIES IN ALLENTOWN On the tour from neighboring New York, Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, a Republican, spoke to the crowd about the disparity in criminal justice policies between right and left. Shifting to the economy, Malliotakis said: “I hear Kamala every time she opens her mouth, it sounds like something coming out of Hugo Chavez’ Venezuela.” “My mother fled the communist country of Cuba. And so when I hear [Harris] talk about price controls, which caused hyperinflation, which caused the shelves to be empty in Venezuela, it is scary.” Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., a former House Freedom Caucus chairman in a close race with ex-Lancaster news anchor Janelle Stelson, said the momentum appears to be heading in Trump’s direction. “The Harris campaign keeps trying to give them a reason to vote for her, but every time they do it, they fail her,” he said. “Her campaign is collapsing. [At] the most recent event in Pennsylvania was a town hall where she either [couldn’t] answer a question or refused to answer a question. And so the people are saying, ‘Look, we’re not going to put up with four more years of misery. We’re going to elect Trump and go back to where things were great, move forward.’” Perry said constituents are worried about affording daily needs and paying bills on time. “They also are worried about their safety,” he said, claiming that Democrats created those problems. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, later noted she, too, hails from an agricultural state like California and Pennsylvania. “Iowa is in the bag, you know. And I thought it was really important to come out on the Trump Bus Tour and visit with all of you great folks. Because let me tell you, I look across the audience and I’m seeing [my family], I’m seeing my neighbors in this crowd, because I come from rural southwest Iowa. I am a farmer’s daughter.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “My brother is a union laborer on the railroad. My sister is a farmer and works for a trucking company. I come from normal everyday people, and I work with normal, everyday people.” Speaking with Fox News Digital, she said she has a positive outlook ahead of the election, after traveling the commonwealth on the bus. “Every stop has a really enthusiastic crowd . . . they are fired up; they’re ready to engage other voters that might not vote in every election,” she said. “So what we can say is ‘Goodbye, Kamala Harris. Goodbye, Bob Casey, and welcome again to peace and prosperity under President Donald J. Trump and soon-to-be United States Senator Dave McCormick.’” Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania, Mayor Jondavid Longo was with Trump in his home county of Butler just minutes before the GOP nominee was shot by

Bill Clinton says it’s OK to vote for Harris even though Trump’s economy ‘was better’

Former President Bill Clinton encouraged voters in Michigan to throw their support behind Vice President Kamala Harris even if they believe the economy was better under former President Donald Trump. “I want to make three brief points,” Clinton told voters at a rally for Harris in Muskegon Heights, Michigan on Wednesday. “You did pretty well when I was president, and I think I’m entitled to my opinion about who’d be better. Two, I don’t think it’s right to say that people have to vote for Donald Trump because the economy was better… I don’t believe that.” Clinton’s comments come as both the Trump and Harris campaigns scramble to reach as many voters as possible with less than a week to go before election day, particularly in swing states such as Michigan, where polls show a razor tight race between the two candidates. BILL CLINTON MAKES ‘STUNNING’ REMARK ON LAKEN RILEY’S MURDER According to the Real Clear Politics polling average, Harris currently holds a slim 0.4 point lead over Trump in Michigan, while the latest Fox News Power Rankings rate the state as a toss-up. Clinton’s comments were not his first gaffe while hitting the campaign trail for Harris, coming a couple of weeks after the former president told voters in Georgia an immigrant who allegedly killed Georgia-native Laken Riley was not properly vetted before being let into the country. “You had a case in Georgia not very long ago, didn’t you? They made an ad about it. A young woman who had been killed by an immigrant,” Clinton said at the time. “Yeah, well, if they’d all been properly vetted, that probably wouldn’t have happened.” Despite that gaffe, the campaign brought Clinton to the critical swing state of Michigan to stump for Harris along with Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. SLOTKIN SLAMS FELLOW DEM BIDEN FOR ‘GARBAGE’ GAFFE AMID HEATED SENATE BATTLE Tudor Dixon, a Republican who ran for governor against Whitmer in 2022, argued that Clinton was just telling “the truth” during the event in Michigan. “Bill Clinton told the truth again when he admitted the economy is better under president Trump. Normal people buying groceries or school supplies know that’s true,” Dixon told Fox News Digital. “I’m beginning to wonder if he’s secretly a surrogate for the Trump campaign.” Nevertheless, Clinton said he was in Michigan to support Harris “enthusiastically,” arguing that “Kamala Harris will be a better president than Donald Trump.” “I want to assure the American dream for my grandchildren,” Clinton said. “I don’t want my 10-year-old granddaughter to have fewer freedoms than her 44-year-old mother.” The Harris campaign did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

Residents in small Ohio village reveal biggest concerns after community rocked by illegal immigrants

LOCKLAND, OHIO – Residents in this small village, where the population is just 3,400, have seen their lives upended by an influx of thousands of illegal immigrants that residents say has left strains on services and a significant drop in their quality of life. Officials have previously told Fox News Digital that there have been around 3,000 mostly Mauritanian illegal immigrants arriving in the small village of 3,400 residents, and it has strained services and made life worse for the people that live there. Migrants have clustered primarily in a number of apartment blocks in the area. Officials say the influx is hurting the village coffers as working residents are moving out to be replaced by illegal immigrants who are not contributing. “Our fire and paramedic services have been stressed. Since they moved into these apartment complexes, a lot of the longtime residents have moved out because of multiple fires. It’s been caused by their not understanding how to cook on stoves, and they use high levels of grease in their cooking, which have caused multiple fires,” Mayor Mark Mason Sr. said in an interview this month. OHIO MAYOR SOUNDS ALARM AFTER VILLAGE ROCKED BY THOUSANDS OF AFRICAN ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS: ‘UNSUSTAINABLE’ “And so a lot of people don’t want to subject their families to unsafe conditions in these apartment complexes. So, therefore, they’ve moved out – the working residents – and they have moved in. And most don’t have jobs, they don’t contribute to society. They don’t contribute to your earnings tax base. And it’s a real concern,” he said. Residents have echoed those concerns. One woman, Kelly, who lives on the top floor of one of the apartment buildings, says she is one of a few remaining Americans in the building, with the rest being illegal immigrants. She says the block has now become known as “the African village” due to the influx, where she says there are now about 85% illegal immigrants. “With the illegals hanging out in the apartment, at first they were hanging out 50 a day out in the parking lots and walking around. They don’t move out of your way when you’re driving. They don’t seem to care,” she said. “The fires that have been going on, I mean, the fire departments here, if not every day. Every other day. And I think at least four to five fires in less than the last six months. And the smoke alarms are going off constantly. They don’t know how to use the electric stoves and with all the oil and that they use, the smell of the food through the halls all the time is pretty bad,” she said. CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS “The fires, that’s what scares me. I live on the third floor and pretty much by myself. And I’m afraid I’m going to burn up in a fire one night, because everybody that lives below me is all the illegals. In the two next to me . . . there are illegals, too, and the smoke alarms are going off day and night there.” “We’re all wanting to get out of here, the Americans,” she said. Another resident, Aaron, said immigration was the biggest issue facing the village, noting the packed apartments. “When it comes to the community center down here, they’re overwhelmed by it. And the churches are overwhelmed, the resources are limited.” Loitering was also an issue mentioned by some residents. HAITIAN MIGRANTS OVERWHELMING SMALL INDIANA TOWN: ‘IT’S JUST OVERRUN’ “There’s just so many of them hanging out, on the streets and the sidewalks. I’d be afraid to walk that way, and I’ve been here 37 years,” Dave, who lives on the town’s east side, told Fox. “I wish something could be done to keep them off the sidewalks.” Other residents pointed to other issues facing the village, like crime and drugs, although not necessarily connected to immigration. Marilyn Bartko, who lives near Lockland, didn’t mention immigration as a top issue. “I would think the need in Lockland for industry, for people to have better housing and better schooling and for the powers that be to work on having less crime,” she said. “Because I think areas like this are often left to their own. People forget, and they say, ‘Lockland’s too dangerous,’ but people don’t try to change things here,” she said. Village Administrator Doug Wehmeyer told Fox News Digital recently that it is leading to around $150,000 in losses for the village, as the illegal immigrants do not pay taxes and are displacing local residents who are moving out of those apartments. “I don’t know how they found our small village. We like it. We think it’s a great place to live, but the quality of life here is definitely being affected by this problem,” he said. Lockland’s case echoes towns and cities like Springfield, Ohio, which saw a surge in Haitian migration in recent years, and Charleroi, Pennsylvania, which has also been overwhelmed by Haitian migration. SWING STATE OFFICIAL WARNS VILLAGE STRUGGLING WITH FINANCIAL LOSSES AFTER INFLUX OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS Former President Trump has pointed to both of those towns as what he saw as the consequences of the Biden administration’s border policies, including its expansion of parole programs via the CBP One app and the use of Temporary Protected Status to protect some from deportation. In terms of illegal immigration, he has promised to continue building a wall at the southern border and restore many of his policies, as well as launch a mass deportation operation. Vice President Kamala Harris has challenged Trump’s narrative, and promised to sign a bipartisan border security bill if elected. But she has also called for a sweeping 2021 bill that also would have included a mass amnesty for millions of illegal immigrants already in the U.S. Fox News’ Emma Woodhead contributed to this report.

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