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Thousands of Haitians living in Ohio will lose their temporary protected status next week unless a federal court blocks it.
About 330,000 Haitians are living in the United States with Temporary Protected Status (TPS), a program that allows people from specific countries in conflict or facing natural disasters the chance to live and work in the United States for a set period of time.
Haiti is currently plagued by gang violence and instability, with many fleeing the small Caribbean nation to the United States for their lives. Many of the refugees have no homes to return to in Haiti, and are fearful for their families’ safety if forced to return.
The Trump administration has set a date to end protected status for Haitians on Feb. 3, barring any action from a federal appellate court. This also means they will lose their work authorization, so they will no longer be authorized to work legally.
“At that point, they could potentially be arrested, detained, or put in removal proceedings unless they have already applied for some other form of relief they have in addition to TPS, or that they are applying for in addition to TPS,” said Emily Brown, Ohio State University Moritz College of Law’s Immigration Clinic Director.
U.S. District Court Judge Ana C. Reyes will decide whether to suspend the expiration of the protected status for Haitians and her decision is expected Feb. 2.
About 30,000 Haitians with temporary status live in central Ohio and an estimated 12,000 to 15,000 Haitians call Springfield home, with a mixture of temporary protected status, citizenship, and other legal status.
“The folks are fearful,” said Viles Dorsainvil, executive director of the Haitian Support Center in Springfield.
“They came here just to work and send their kids to school and be here peacefully,” said Dorsainvil, who came to the United States from Haiti in 2020.
“All of a sudden, they find themselves in another scenario where they’re not accepted… They are panicked and the worst thing is that they can’t even plan their lives for three months down the road.”
Haitians with temporary status could apply for asylum, Brown said.
“If they have a pending asylum application… they have the right to apply for work authorization and to not be removed while they’re waiting for their application to be pending,” she said.
However, the Trump administration put an indefinite freeze on processing all asylum applications at the end of 2025.
“There’s a lot of concern that people may be put in detention while they’re waiting for their asylum hearings, and be taken away from their kids, their work, and their homes,” said Ohio Immigrant Alliance Executive Director Lynn Tramonte.
Haitians were initially granted temporary protected status after Haiti’s earthquake in 2010 killed 222,570 people. The Biden administration extended Temporary Protected Status to Haitians in 2021 after the assassination of Haiti President Jovenel Moïse.
Gang violence, political instability, and hunger make it unsafe to return to Haiti.
“A lot of people are afraid for their lives if they return to Haiti, so a lot of people are not just going to get on a plane and go to Haiti,” Brown said.
“Most people, I think, are staying and just trying to take their chances and see what happens. It’s difficult to uproot your whole life like that, particularly when you’re not sure where else to go because it’s not safe to go back to Haiti.”
Tramonte said it breaks her heart how Haitians have been looking for safety for years.
“When do Haitians get to just stop running?” she asked.
Some Haitians are going to Canada if they have a family member there, but many Haitians living in Springfield do not have any other alternatives, Dorsainvil said.
“Nowhere is safe right now,” he said.
There are concerns that protected status ending for Haitians could lead to an uptick in Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity.
“My guess is that … ICE is going to be looking at areas of the country — including Springfield (and) parts of Columbus — where they know that large numbers of Haitians are here, and they’re going to be engaging in racial profiling,” Brown said.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said Ohio officials are expecting a 30-day ICE surge in Springfield starting Feb. 4.
“The ACLU of Ohio urges state and local elected officials to do everything in their power to protect the 30,000 Haitians living in Central Ohio,” said J. Bennett Guess, ACLU of Ohio’s Executive Director.
DeWine, who was born in Springfield, has said often talked about how the Haitian people are contributing to Springfield’s economy.
“They are reliable,” DeWine told reporters in December. “They show up, they work, they want overtime, they’re reliable, and they pass drug tests.”
Mike and his wife Fran DeWine help support the Becky DeWine School in Haiti, named after their late daughter, but the school had to close due to gang activity in 2024.
Springfield Mayor Rob Rue is “not providing interviews on this matter at this time,” a spokesperson for the mayor said in an email response to the Capital Journal.
The Haitian Support Center director agrees with DeWine about the impact on the local economy if Haitians are forced to leave.
“If it happens that those folks leave here, I think it will be felt economically (in Springfield),” Dorsainvil said.
Springfield was in the national spotlight during the 2024 Presidential election when Vice President J.D. Vance started the false claim that Haitian immigrants who have moved to Springfield were eating cats and dogs.
DeWine and state public safety officials debunked the claim, but President Donald Trump repeated the claim during a national debate.
That led to bomb threats against Springfield schools and City Hall, as well as threats of violence toward public officials and business owners, and neo-Nazis protesting in the city.
Follow Capital Journal Reporter Megan Henry on Bluesky.