COLUMBUS, Ohio ‒ Gov. Mike DeWine said Ohio officials are preparing for a potential surge in immigration enforcement when thousands of Haitians in Springfield lose their legal status overnight.
On Feb. 3, more than 500,000 Haitians nationwide are expected tolose temporary protected status, which allows immigrants from dangerous countries to stay in the United States. Springfield is home to an estimated 15,000 Haitians − about one-fourth of its population − and another 30,000 live in central Ohio.
DeWine said he doesn't know for sure whether Immigration and Customs Enforcement will send officers to Springfield after TPS expires. But he's talked with Clark County police and school district officials to plan for the possibility.
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"If ICE does in fact come in, comes in with a big operation, obviously we have to work this thing through and make sure people don't get hurt," DeWine told the statehouse bureau Jan. 27.
Springfield found itself in the national spotlight during the 2024 presidential election, when PresidentDonald Trumpand Vice PresidentJD Vancefalsely claimed that local Haitians were eating pets.
DeWine has defendedthe Haitian community and contends the end of TPS will hurt the local economy and risk the safety of people forced to return to Haiti.
DeWine said he's also concerned that children's services could become overwhelmed if parents are detained by ICE.
"I don't think it's in our interest in this country for all the Haitians who are working, who are sometimes working two jobs, supporting their family, supporting the economy, I think it's a mistake to tell these individuals you can no longer work and have to leave the country," he said.
DeWine's comments came days after a Border Patrol agentshot and killed 37-year-old nurse Alex Prettiamid protests over ICE's presence in Minneapolis. DeWine declined to comment on ICE operations outside Ohio but called on residents and officials to follow the law and respect the rights of protesters, should ICE arrive in Springfield.
"Everybody should have the same objective, and the same objective is to allow people to demonstrate, allow people to exercise their First Amendment rights, but at the same time, people cannot interfere in what is a lawful action by ICE," DeWine said. "They can't do that. Whether we agree with the policy or not is just a different question."
State government reporter Haley BeMiller can be reached athbemiller@usatodayco.comor @haleybemiller on X.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch:Ohio could see ICE surge in Springfield after Haitian TPS expires
