Hundreds of thousands of Haitians are sheltering in America, including 15,000 to 20,000 in Springfield, Ohio, under Temporary Protected Status (TPS) orders that date to a massive 2010 earthquake. During the first Donald Trump administration, in 2018, Homeland Security tried to end TPS for Haitians but was barred by a federal court. Last year, the Joe Biden administration extended the Haitian TPS to Feb. 3, 2026, citing deadly gang violence and other risks.
Now, Trump is president again, and in late February, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem issued a “partial vacatur” of the Biden extension, to expire on Aug. 3, 2025, instead of Feb. 3, 2026; on July 1, she published a notice of TPS termination effective Sept. 2, 2025. U.S. District Judge
Brian M. Cogan
, a George W. Bush appointee, has
ruled that Noem’s “partial vacatur” was unlawful
under the TPS statute.
But are Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents about to descend in force on Springfield, where Haitians have helped revitalize the local economy? Advocates call deportation a “death sentence” for the Springfield Haitians, The Columbus Dispatch
reports
. And Gov. Mike DeWine says Haiti is “one of the most dangerous places in the world.”
So how does our Editorial Board Roundtable see this developing?
Leila Atassi, manager public interest and advocacy:
You can count on this unfolding in the cruelest way possible — middle-of-the-night raids, families torn apart, lives destroyed. These Haitians aren’t criminals. They’re here lawfully under TPS, working jobs many Americans won’t touch and contributing to communities like Springfield. Trump promised to deport the “bad hombres.” But this isn’t that. This is state-sanctioned cruelty against law-abiding people, who made the mistake of believing in America’s promise of refuge.
Ted Diadiun, columnist:
It is unfortunate that the administration continues to embarrass itself and the country with its one-size-fits-all approach to immigration reform. Donald Trump was elected in part to correct the disastrous approach of the previous administration, but Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine stated last year, and
reaffirmed in May
, that the Haitian population in Springfield is resolving – not creating – problems in the city. Trump and Noem should turn their attention elsewhere.
Eric Foster, columnist:
It’s a special kind of cruelty to offer shelter to a group of people fleeing one of the most dangerous places in the world, place them in a city, watch them become a valuable part of that community, watch them benefit the city economically, and then one day decide that you want to send them back. Apologists will frame this as a political shift. This is a morality shift.
Lisa Garvin, editorial board member:
Fifteen thousand people is more than the population of my suburban city. It’s not hard to imagine what will happen to Springfield’s economy if that many Haitian residents are deported. They breathed new life into a city struggling with population decline and unfilled jobs. I really hope Springfield residents rally to support their Haitian neighbors. Their city’s vitality depends on them, and, honestly, it’s the only moral and humane choice.
Victor Ruiz, editorial board member:
The people of Clark County overwhelmingly supported Donald Trump, so I’m sure they are thrilled by this decision, even if it overlooks the fact that the Haitian community helped revitalize a struggling Springfield. After all, Trump is simply doing what he promised. Let’s hope the president, his Ohio vice president, and our Ohio U.S. senators can now deliver the prosperity that Springfield so desperately needs.
Mary Cay Doherty, editorial board member:
Presidents uphold existing laws. Hopes for immigration reform rest with Congress. TPS is, by name, a temporary humanitarian tool, not a permanent immigration pathway. The 2010 earthquake was a qualifying catastrophe, but Haiti’s instability and poverty are, unfortunately, not temporary. Although Haiti’s continued TPS designation seems unwarranted, the February 2026 date afforded more time to prepare. Now, where possible, Homeland Security must help the affected Haitians secure legal immigration status.
Elizabeth Sullivan, opinion director:
This all feels like political theater, done for the headline value rather than as actual policy — especially when Trump administration lawyers surely knew that Noem’s attempt to end the Haitians’ Temporary Protected Status six months early likely violated notice provisions of the TPS law. In reality, the United States should be extending TPS for the Haitians, since conditions in Haiti remain too dangerous to force them to return.
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