LOGANSPORT, Ind. — Logansport is a rural city 78 miles north of Indianapolis known for its diverse, urban population of 18,000 people.
People from at least 28 countries call Logansport home with at least 27 languages spoken. The influx of new people coming to the city has some government officials speaking out believing the current growth is not sustainable.
FOX59/CBS4 went to Logansport earlier this month to get answers to viewers’ questions, including “Why are people coming to the city?” “How many are coming?” and “Is there a strain on local services?” It took weeks to get answers and we are still working to get others to respond.
Strain on schools
Cass County Health Department Administrator Serenity Alter told the Cass County Commissioners during their September meeting that new students are coming to Logansport Schools in large numbers.
“A lot of them are coming unaccompanied,” Alter said.
Alter sits in meetings with the new children enrolled in the school district and hears directly from the children as they describe their journey to the city.
“They fly from Haiti to Nicaragua, to Mexico, and then to the state they are flying to in the US,” she said. “Some have not seen their parents in seven years. It’s an eye-opener.”
The overall growth of school enrollment jumped by nearly 150 kids in three years. This year there are 207 Haitian students in Logansport schools, up from 14 in 2021. Logansport also has new students this year from 11 other countries including Guatemala, Cuba, Honduras and El Salvador.
“I don’t think our school system can sustain what they are doing right now,” Alter said.
The school district is more optimistic.
District Superintendent Michele Starkey graduated from Logansport High School and has worked for the school for decades. She said embracing immigrants is what they do, but she acknowledges many of these migrant students are being asked to bear a heavy load.
“We can handle it,” Starkey said. “We are a public school, so we take in everyone who comes through the door and we meet them where they are no matter what.”
Starkey and her team sat down for an interview and, over several weeks, answered multiple questions. One item that came up was students who work overnight and then go to school.
“While it might be startling to some people, we have students that work second and third-shift jobs to help support their families,” she said.
The school district works with these students to go to school and work. Some attend The Academy at Logansport, a new school within the district.
For example, a student who is 18 years old but has a 6th-grade education cannot attend the traditional junior high school as an adult. He or she can now attend classes for two or three hours a day and then also work a full day at their employer.
Getting a number & the Tyson plant
One question that nobody can answer: How many migrants have moved to Logansport in the past three years?
FOX59/CBS4’s Angela Ganote stopped by the Jehovah Jireh Haitian Market on North Street and talked with the owner to ask if he knew.
“I don’t know exactly,” he said. “Maybe more than 2,000.”
Walkens – a Haitian immigrant who owns the market – moved to Logansport four years ago from Florida. He told Ganote what brought him to the city.
“Tyson!”
Walkens was talking about the Tyson meatpacking plant in Logansport. He used to work there, but now owns the market. He said he started it because Logansport didn’t have anything for the growing Haitian population. He told Ganote that people are coming to earn a living.
“Tyson is good money,” he said. “They make good money.”
Immigrants like Walkens can come to Logansport legally with certain employment authorization documents issued to Temporary Protected Status individuals. The program is known as TPS.
FOX59/CBS4 reached out to Tyson by phone and email. Ganote submitted multiple questions including how many migrant teenagers work for them third shift, but they did not respond.
Logansport Mayor Chris Martin said he needs help now. Martin told Ganote that the biggest issue is not knowing how many immigrants have come to his city. He added that from the federal to state government nobody can tell him.
“Do you even know? We don’t,” Martin said. “We don’t.”
Migrant spiritual leaders told city leaders that 5,000 Haitian immigrants have recently moved to the city, but the mayor said he has no way of verifying that number.
Martin said these numbers matter because budgets, money and services are planned using the census population of 18,000. He said he does know the growth is significant.
“Here’s how we know it has changed,” he said. “Because of the 20 to 30% increase that we are seeing in a lot of our normal city services like traffic, school and the hospital.”
Martin blamed federal immigration policies for the burden. He told Ganote that if the federal government is going to help people come here, they need to help the city with services.
“The federal government has got to step in and help communities our size,” the mayor said.
Martin said two other concerns he has are a strain on the local hospital and a lack of housing.
Logansport Memorial
Logansport Memorial Hospital told FOX59/CBS4 that they are on pace for record births and more than 20,000 emergency room visits. 27% of their patients are on Medicaid, which puts a significant burden on obstetric care in Indiana.
Immigrants and anyone else who can’t pay sign up for presumptive Medicaid and then apply for charity care or a payment plan. The hospital recently asked its city council for $3 million to stabilize operations, which was granted.
Ganote had multiple conversations with hospital staff during her visit. CEO Tara McVay would not sit down for an interview, but Vice President of Human Resources Lynda Shrock responded to questions in multiple emails. The hospital also released this statement:
“As you may already know, Logansport Memorial is an acute care hospital that cares for any and all members of the community. It is our responsibility to provide equitable, quality care to those who enter our doors. We will continue to assist and provide healthcare resources to those in need.
The newcomer population brings communication struggles, but we have adapted by utilizing our interpreter services, both live and telephonic, and translating key documents to help with these barriers.
Logansport Memorial has seen an increase in births this year but partially due to area hospitals closing their OB departments. Dukes, a CHS hospital, in Peru closed in June of 2024. Parkview Wabash closed in 2023. Pulaski County closed in January of 2022. And Carrol County does not have a hospital. IU White County has not delivered babies for several years. LMH is on track to have 566 births, approximately 12% of those are newcomers. Medicaid has not increased their rates in 30 years. This has put a significant burden on OB care in the state of Indiana.
The County Health Department manages communicable disease statistics. LMH works in partnership with the Health Department to treat and reduce the spread. We assist with diagnosis, treatment, and education.”
– Logansport Memorial Hospital
No other information has been provided by Logansport Memorial as of this article’s publication.
Lack of housing
As for the lack of housing, the health department – including Alter – has been in homes where 20 to 25 people are living. Officials say that is not safe.
“That is a big concern,” Mayor Martin said.
The mayor told Ganote that his team is working on a few new housing projects, but isn’t ready to divulge specifics.
He did say that they need help now.
“I will say we have been in contact with the governor’s office on getting to the next steps,” Martin added.
Looking for answers
Mayor Martin said he considered issuing a state of emergency but said that he would wait for now. FOX59/CBS4 has reached out to the governor’s office multiple times to get answers to the city’s questions, but the governor nor his office ever responded.
FOX59/CBS4 and Ganote will keep asking questions and work to get answers. There are multiple meetings with officials and citizens planned for the weeks ahead and we will update our website on what comes from them.
