The Ohio City Revived by Haitian Immigration Sees an Uncertain Future
Haitians who arrived in Springfield, Ohio, by the thousands in recent years revived a city that had been in decline for decades.
They worked in manufacturing, distribution and the service sector, easing labor shortages and fueling economic growth. Their children starred on athletic teams and played in school concerts.
Now, Springfield faces the prospect of losing the people that powered its resurgence.
Last week, the Supreme Court ruled that the Trump administration can proceed with terminating Temporary Protected Status for more than 330,000 Haitian and 6,100 Syrians. The humanitarian program, maintained by successive administrations, had allowed recipients to live and work in the United States because their home countries were considered too perilous to risk a return.
The Trump administration has argued that the protection, granted for up to 18 months at a time, has been renewed repeatedly and turned into a de facto permanent residency program.
The court’s decision threatens to transform Springfield into ground zero for what some legal scholars are calling the first mass “de-documentation” of immigrants in modern American history. The city of 60,000 — including more than 10,000 Haitians — could become the target of a major enforcement operation.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/29/us/springfield-ohio-haitians-tps.html?
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I hope the good citizens of Springfield will follow the example of Minneapolis.