Several Haitian immigrants are fleeing the area of Springfield, Ohio in fear of deportation after Donald Trump won the 2024 Presidential Election.
“People are fully aware of the election result and that is why they are leaving; they are afraid of a mass deportation,” said Jacob Payen, a co-founder of the Haitian Community Alliance to The Guardian, per The Independent.
During Trump’s campaign, one of his policies that he would implement during his term as president was a mass deportation of undocumented immigrants living in the United States.
“Trump’s deportation plan is unclear. How [will he] identify these immigrants because many of them here initially are here legally?” said Imani Laird, HU student and first-year political science major.
However, this fear has been a long time coming for the Haitians in Springfield.
Back in early October, Trump was asked by NewsNation whether he would revoke the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians in Springfield, and he replied with a swift yes.
“Absolutely, I’d revoke it, and I’d bring them back to their country,” said Trump, per The Independent.
Around 200,000 Haitian immigrants legally live and work in the U.S under the TPS, which allows them immunity from deportation for a limited time, because of emergency conditions in their home countries.
Thousands of immigrants with TPS have settled in Springfield - a city with 58,000 residents.
Many immigrants fear that the TPS revocation would go into effect on Jan. 20, 2025, the day of Trump’s inauguration.
However, many legal experts say that this is unlikely to happen.
“There’s a fear among the Haitian community that TPS is going to end on Jan. 20, and I don’t think that is likely for a number of reasons,” said Katie Kersh per The Guardian. Walsh is a senior attorney at the non-profit law firm, Advocates for Basic Legal Equality.
However, despite doubts, Haitian immigrants are still leaving and finding other places to stay.
“Several of my customers have left. One guy with his family went to New Jersey; others have gone to Boston. I know three families that have gone to Canada,” said Jacob Payen. Payen runs a business that includes helping Haitians with their tax returns.
Haitian immigrants leaving Springfield could cause real damage. With one of the major damages being to the economy of the community.
Many companies in Springfield and nearby depend on Haitian labor, with Haitians filling thousands of jobs at area packing and auto plants, which helped rejuvenate the once blighted neighborhoods and contributed to the local economy, according to The Guardian.
Without the Haitian immigrants filling many of these roles the economy could slip.
“If these people leave, the money is gone from the city and the local economy,” said Payen.
Comments