Five Haitians residing in Springfield, Ohio, have been deported back to Haiti following the revocation of their legal protected status by the Trump Administration, according to Theresa Hice-Fromille, a board member of the Haitian Community Help and Support Center. This action comes after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in late June that the administration could end temporary protected status (TPS) for Haitians who had fled violence in their home country. The legal protected status officially ended for Haitians on July 27.
Nationwide, more than 470 individuals have been deported from the United States to Haiti between August 20 and September 17, with some having pending asylum claims, as reported by Haiti’s National Office for Migration. U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-MD, stated during a U.S. Senate spotlight hearing this week that the Trump administration is engaged in an "all-out assault on our immigrant communities across the United States," adding that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has already forced hundreds of Haitian TPS holders back into danger.
The U.S. Department of State currently advises Americans with a Level 4 “Do Not Travel” advisory for Haiti, citing risks including crime, kidnapping, terrorism, unrest, and limited healthcare. The severity of the situation was highlighted by the kidnapping of a top security official and chief of staff to the nation’s defense minister in June. Additionally, the Human Rights Service of the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti reported that at least 1,408 people were killed and 656 were injured in Haiti between April 1 and June 30.
Carl Ruby, pastor of Springfield’s Central Christian Church, expressed the intense anxiety within the community, stating during the Senate hearing that the "fear of going back to Haiti is so palpable and so strong." U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-IL, also spoke at the hearing, questioning the decision to send vulnerable people back into such dangerous conditions.
Deportation flights to Haiti have increased from a monthly schedule to once a week. According to a recent report from Human Rights Watch, these flights are now landing in Cap-Haïtien, Haiti’s second-largest city, because criminal groups have made the airport in the capital, Port-au-Prince, unsafe. Upon arrival, migration officials provide deportees with a meal, a drink, and 10,000 Haitian gourdes, which is approximately $77. The Departmental Judicial Police Service then takes the deportees to a central police station for further registration before they are released on their own, as per Human Rights Watch findings.
Human Rights Watch interviewed officials from nine Haitian government institutions for their report, all of whom indicated that Haitian authorities "lack the capacity to provide shelter, continuing food assistance, safe onward transportation, sustained health or psychosocial care, or an established channel with US authorities to help deportees recover missing belongings," according to the organization's report.
In Washington, the U.S. House voted in April to extend TPS for Haitians through 2029, with the bill currently awaiting action in the U.S. Senate. However, the White House stated that President Trump would veto the bill. Separately, Senator Van Hollen introduced a Senate bill that would offer TPS recipients a pathway to U.S. citizenship. Senator Durbin recounted his visit to Haiti with Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, noting that Governor DeWine and his wife, Fran, regularly supported churches and groups there. They help support the Becky DeWine School in Haiti, named after their late daughter, which had to close in 2024 due to gang activity.
The impact of these policies has been acutely felt in Springfield, home to approximately 15,000 Haitians with various legal statuses. U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla, D-CA, spoke about Pierre Damas Bel, a 20-year-old Wright State University student who died in an apparent suicide on August 31. His family attributes his death to the stress of being forced to wear an ankle monitor by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Pastor Ruby added that Pierre’s friends and family reported that the "relentless fear, shame, and pressure created by ankle monitoring weighed heavily on him," and that his death "shook our Haitian community to its core."
Pastor Ruby emphasized that Springfield’s Haitian community is a "blessing" and not a burden, warning that ending TPS has made Springfield "more vulnerable economically, socially, and spiritually," and that the city cannot afford to lose them. He noted that the number of Haitians regularly worshipping at his church dropped from about 50 to just two when ICE agents arrived in Springfield over the summer, as families became afraid to leave their homes. The Springfield faith community has stepped in to deliver food, help with rent for families unable to work, and drive students to school when parents are fearful of leaving their residences. Pastor Ruby expressed a wish for President Trump to "see firsthand how terrified people are of being sent back to Haiti, and to see what it’s like to see whole families hiding behind locked doors."
Across Ohio, nearly 75 Haitians have been detained since July 27 at one of four state detention facilities contracting with ICE, according to a report from the Ohio Immigrant Alliance. Haitians in Springfield have also been receiving letters directing them to report to ICE offices in Blue Ash or Westerville to accept ankle monitors after TPS ended. ICE has additionally begun using the SmartLINK smartphone application to track Haitians in Springfield.
