Ray Marcano is a Columbus Dispatch contributing columnist.
Political analyst and reporter Mark Halperin on Aug. 21 askedon social media whether Donald Trump’s legacy is at risk because of his actions or inactions.
I wrote:
“His will be a legacy of fear, torment and greed. It should be securing borders, forcing NATO to pay more for defense and cutting regulations in several areas. But all of that will be overshadowed by his desire for revenge and the havoc that it wrought.”
The fear and torment are playing out every day in Springfield, where federal ICE agents are at times using questionable methods, like engaging in traffic stops, to round up Haitians and send them to jail. In doing so, they’re sowing the seeds of long-term trauma that will plague
the city, its leaders, and even the ICE officers, for a long time.
Sending people to madness
We know the obvious consequences. Team Trump has started sending people back to Haiti, an island so crime-ridden and lawless the federal government has warned Americans traveling there to bring dental records in case they’re brutally murdered.
While the State Department website blares, in red, “Do not travel,” the government’s fine forcibly deporting human beings knowing they could be killed.
Is Trump’s legacy at risk? And is it because of his own actions… or inactions?
— Mark Halperin (@MarkHalperin) August 21, 2026
Tell me what you think ⬇️ https://t.co/xChEGMGq0C
That’s not hyperbole. In February, four Haitian women deported from Puerto Rico were found decapitated near the Haiti/Dominican Republic Border.
The heartless are having their day
I’ve written before about the trauma families face when one of their members gets swept up by masked agents. That anguish never disappears and leads to a decision the United States shouldn’t demand people make. Should I risk my life and that of my children to join my deported spouse?
The trauma carries over to a city government trying to manage a crisis not of its own making. It has to deal with businesses facing closure because they’re losing employees they can’t easily replace.
A vocal and heartless segment of its citizenry cheers the deportations and wants them to accelerate for no reason beyond their love MAGA Kool-Aid.
The new human chattel
Supporters view the city’s “we’re not involved” statements suspiciously and wonder if their leaders really are in league with ICE? The pressure city leaders face will lead to trauma as they wonder whether they did the right thing, or did enough, beyond, “we’re not involved.”
Haitians forced to wear ankle brackets, the modern-day shackles from another hideous time past, will be traumatized for the remainder of their lives. The monitors, worn by criminals under house arrest, protrude from under slacks and become obvious when wearing shorts.
It marks them with a Scarlett Letter ICE, a moniker that makes them federal government chattel.
The ICE agents themselves will also face trauma, an overlooked issue. The majority of agents will go home with images of children crying as their daddy was handcuffed and shoved into a black SUV. These agents go to work each day with the charge of breaking up families (and they get to go home to theirs). That takes its toll. One study shows as many as 80% of law enforcement officers report chronic stress has an impact on their life.
In re-reading my answer to Halperin, I should have said trauma first.
Springfield’s trauma will last long after Trump leaves office as so many cope with broken families, broken hearts, and dead bodies.
Ray Marcano is a Columbus Dispatch contributing columnist. The longtime journalist is the former national president of the Society of Professional Journalists, a two-time Pulitzer juror, and a Fulbright fellow.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Heartless MAGA Kool-Aid-loving pack cheers as Ohio city faces Trump's legacy | Opinion
