Hundreds of thousands of Haitians who came to the US to escape violence and instability in their home country are now living in fear that they'll become Trump's next target. The community is bracing for an ICE operation, which could put them at risk of deportation.
Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, where 15,000 people make up about a quarter of the population, have been preparing for this day since Trump took office. In fact, some were already concerned during his presidential campaign, when he falsely accused Haitians of eating pets and described their homeland as a "shithole" country that should be cut off from immigration.
When Temporary Protected Status (TPS), which allows Haitian immigrants to live and work in the US because their home country has been deemed unsafe, expires on February 3, hundreds of thousands are expected to lose this protection. The White House is trying to strip them of their existing protections, leaving them vulnerable to mass removal.
Deportation to Haiti is considered a "death sentence" for many Haitians. According to Guerline Jozef, executive director of the Haitian Bridge Alliance, which has been preparing for this day since Trump took office, deportation would be a death sentence for many.
While TPS was initially put in place after the devastating 2010 earthquake that devastated Haiti, the potential dangers awaiting deportees have multiplied since then. The country is now plagued by violent gangs, murders, kidnappings, and sexual violence, with 1.5 million people internally displaced and 16,000 killed since January 2022.
In recent years, many Haitians escaped violence by fleeing to South American countries and then traveling north through the Darien Gap to the Southern US border. However, this journey is fraught with danger, and many have died trying to reach safety.
In response to the uncertainty, volunteers in Springfield are creating a rapid response network to keep their immigrant neighbors safe. A coalition of faith-based groups, including the Haitian Support Center, has hosted "know your rights" trainings for months, and even after the court ruling, they continue to host training sessions.
As long as there is no pathway to permanent status, fear of family separation and deportation continues to loom over Haitians. Even with bipartisan support from local officials in Ohio, who have expressed support for Haitian immigrants due to their economic contribution, many feel that their future is uncertain.
With little control over their time in the US, Haitians can only plan day by day, waiting to see what the future holds for them.
Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, where 15,000 people make up about a quarter of the population, have been preparing for this day since Trump took office. In fact, some were already concerned during his presidential campaign, when he falsely accused Haitians of eating pets and described their homeland as a "shithole" country that should be cut off from immigration.
When Temporary Protected Status (TPS), which allows Haitian immigrants to live and work in the US because their home country has been deemed unsafe, expires on February 3, hundreds of thousands are expected to lose this protection. The White House is trying to strip them of their existing protections, leaving them vulnerable to mass removal.
Deportation to Haiti is considered a "death sentence" for many Haitians. According to Guerline Jozef, executive director of the Haitian Bridge Alliance, which has been preparing for this day since Trump took office, deportation would be a death sentence for many.
While TPS was initially put in place after the devastating 2010 earthquake that devastated Haiti, the potential dangers awaiting deportees have multiplied since then. The country is now plagued by violent gangs, murders, kidnappings, and sexual violence, with 1.5 million people internally displaced and 16,000 killed since January 2022.
In recent years, many Haitians escaped violence by fleeing to South American countries and then traveling north through the Darien Gap to the Southern US border. However, this journey is fraught with danger, and many have died trying to reach safety.
In response to the uncertainty, volunteers in Springfield are creating a rapid response network to keep their immigrant neighbors safe. A coalition of faith-based groups, including the Haitian Support Center, has hosted "know your rights" trainings for months, and even after the court ruling, they continue to host training sessions.
As long as there is no pathway to permanent status, fear of family separation and deportation continues to loom over Haitians. Even with bipartisan support from local officials in Ohio, who have expressed support for Haitian immigrants due to their economic contribution, many feel that their future is uncertain.
With little control over their time in the US, Haitians can only plan day by day, waiting to see what the future holds for them.
this is so scary... i cant believe trumps gonna target them again 
especially after everything hes said about haiti it's like he has no idea what he's doing or care about their lives 
anyway, people need to know that tps is not just a temporary thing its supposed to be until the country is safe again so thats over 20 years now 
we need to do more than just talk about this issue, we need to take action 
how can trump do this to ppl who are already struggling so much? like literally fleeing their country to escape violence and now they're scared of being deported back to a place that's even more unstable than when they left... it's not right. i feel so bad for the 1.5 million ppl in haiti who are internally displaced, it's just heartbreaking. and what's with this tps thingy? shouldn't we be protecting these ppl instead of stripping them of their rights? anyway, i'm gonna do my part by volunteering at a local organization that supports immigrant communities 
I'm gettin' so worried about these ppl comin' from Haiti, they just wanna escape violence & instability in their home country 
but now they're facin' deportation 
...it's like, they've already been through so much trauma & pain, can't we just give 'em a break? 
The fact that some ppl were even hurtful to them during the campaign is just low 
...and now they're talkin' about stripin' 'em of their protection 
...it's like, what's goin' on with our country? 
#JusticeForHaitianImmigrants. I mean, who can even imagine having to worry about being deported back to a country that's basically a war zone? 
The White House is playing with people's lives here and it's not okay 
. TPS was supposed to protect them, but now they're left in limbo #TPSIsNowDead. I'm literally shaking thinking about the journey that many Haitians have taken to get to this point, putting their lives at risk just to survive 
. As a community, we gotta come together and support our neighbors who are going through so much stress and anxiety 
. We need to find a way to give them some peace of mind and a clear pathway forward #NoMoreFear #ImmigrationReformNow.
Like, what even is going on? The White House is just stripping them of everything they thought was safe 
They're hosting "know your rights" trainings and setting up rapid response networks, but it's just not enough 
what's really going on with trump's administration? are there some shady deals being made behind the scenes that we don't know about?
. Can't we all just get along... I mean, with a decent immigration system? 
. I mean, we talk about building walls, but it's like we forget that people are human beings, you feel me? 
. it's crazy that ppl have to live in fear of deportation again 
. we need 2 do more 2 support these communities & make sure they're not left hanging in limbo 
. Volunteers are trying to help, hosting "know your rights" trainings and setting up a rapid response network, but it's just not enough 
and it's not fair to people who are already struggling so much. We need to stand up for these ppl and demand some common sense from our leaders 