Haitian families in Springfield facing uncertainty as judge extends TPS
Photo by Samantha Mandar via NBC News
Riley Howell | Contributing Writer
As the federal government prepared to end Temporary Protected Status for Haiti on Feb. 3, Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, are bracing for what community advocates and legal experts describe as widespread fear, economic instability and the possibility of family separation.
Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, is a humanitarian immigration designation granted to individuals from countries experiencing armed conflict, environmental disasters or extraordinary conditions that make return unsafe. TPS allows its recipients to live and work legally in the United States while the designation is in effect. Haiti has held various forms of TPS following a devastating earthquake in 2010 and ongoing political instability, gang violence, and humanitarian crises.
The Department of Homeland Security has terminated TPS for Haitians, and it was to expire Feb. 3 unless the government chooses to extend it. The expiration will affect an estimated 350,000 Haitians living under TPS. An estimated 12,000 to 15,000 Haitians currently live in Springfield, making the city highly susceptible to sudden legal and economic instability.
Monday, a federal judge granted temporary relief to immigrant communities across the nation, reported WSYX-TV in Columbus.
Marjory Wentworth, who works closely with Springfield’s Haitian community through the Clark County Haitian Coalition, said fear in the immigrant community has reached unprecedented levels.
“It’s so much worse,” Wentworth said. “You could not turn the heat up any higher.”
Wentworth said many Haitian families are staying out of the public view and lying as low as possible as uncertainty around immigration grows. While much of Springfield may not feel these effects directly, she says that fear has become a constant presence for immigrant individuals and families.
“If you don’t know what’s going on, it makes it even worse,” she said.
One immediate consequence of TPS ending is the loss of work authorization for Haitians. TPS recipients are eligible for Employment Authorization Documents, which enable them to work legally in the United States. Without TPS, Haitians would lose that ability.
“A lot of people’s work permits have been stopped,” Wentworth said. “So there’s a real humanitarian need in terms of people who just suddenly can’t make a living.”
Springfield’s job market has already seen signs of vulnerability compared to the rest of Ohio. Federal labor data indicates that the Springfield metropolitan area experienced the largest job decline among Ohio’s 11 metro areas between December 2024 and December 2025. The city experienced a net loss of approximately 1,100 jobs, representing a staggering 2.2% decline in total employment.
Since 2010, Haitian immigrants have become a core part of Springfield’s labor market, with many working in warehouses, manufacturing plants and the service industry. The looming loss of work authorization for immigrants could potentially lead to further labor shortages.
Some immigration policy groups argue that TPS has extended too far past its original purpose. America First Policy Institute, a conservative think tank, says TPS was intended for short-term humanitarian aid and not as a pathway for permanent residency.
Ohio State Manager Travis Ricketts criticized repeated extensions of TPS for immigrants. “Temporary Protective Status (TPS) was designed as a short-term protection during acute crises,” Ricketts said, “and has since evolved into semi-permanent status for hundreds of thousands of people as a backdoor to permanent residency.”
Kathleen Kersh, an immigration attorney who has represented immigrants and agricultural workers for more than a decade, said the TPS decision for Haitians signifies deeper issues within the U.S. immigration system.
“The big issue that they’ve been facing is really just more of a normalization in our culture of anti-immigrant sentiment,” Kersh said. “I think that’s been one of the hardest things.”
She added that the immigration court system is increasingly overwhelmed, with an estimated 3.7 million cases backlogged nationwide. Immigrants often have to wait years for a resolution or face removal without due process. Kersh highlighted that the decision to extend or terminate TPS rests with the Secretary of Homeland Security, even if other federal agencies recognized dangerous conditions abroad.
“The State Department’s own human rights report for 2024 talks about how Haiti is a very dangerous place to live with no functioning government,” she said, “And the Department of Homeland Security is basically saying that it’s fine to send people back.”
The Springfield immigrant community is also alarmed by the potential impact TPS expiration could have on children. More than 1,300 children with U.S. citizenship have been born to Haitian parents in Springfield in the past few years
“So what happens to them if all of their parents are detained?” Kersh said. “I don’t think that ICE has really thought that through.”
Faith leaders and advocates are continuing to push for an extension of TPS as Feb. 3 approaches. Springfield’s St. Vincent de Paul is accepting donations for basic necessities and financial contributions to help families facing work loss and deportation fears. For now, Springfield’s Haitian community waits in uncertainty of what could come next.
Reporter’s Note: AI was used to help me organize my audio transcription through the app Summary AI. I also used Grammarly’s AI feature to improve grammar structure.
Editor’s Note: Riley Howell is enrolled in the Flyer News Practicum, an elective offered through the Department of Communication, College of Arts and Sciences, that gives students experiential opportunities in the journalism arts. The Practicum is offered in the fall and spring.
Update: A federal judge on Monday, February 2, blocked the Trump administration from ending TPS for Haitians. Ruling that the decision from Homeland Security was “arbitrary and capricious” and in violation of federal law because it failed to consider severe conditions in Haiti.