Columbus city and immigrant community leaders rallied around Haitian refugees in the city Tuesday, one day after a federal judge halted the end of the temporary protected status program.
An estimated 30,000 Haitians live in Columbus, many of which are here under the TPS program. President Donald Trump sought to end the program and begin deporting Haitian refugees after he attacked Springfield's Haitian community on the 2024 campaign trail.
A federal judge blocked the end of TPS late Monday, issuing a temporary injunction that also protects the Haitian refugees from deportation.
People representing Haitians, Africans, Latinos and Muslims joined several elected officials to offer support for those who fled the Caribbean nation as it faces multiple humanitarian crises including natural disasters, famine and armed conflict.
Nadia Jean Jacques with the Haitian Community Network said the federal judge's order preserving protections for Haitian refugees in the U.S. isn't a victory, but the beginning of a fight. Jean Jacques serves on Columbus' Commission on Immigrant and Refugee Affairs.
"Ending TPS will not just harm Haitian families. It will harm our communities, our workforce, and our economy. It will force thousands of people into uncertainty, fear and possible separation from their children," Jean Jacques said.
Yola LaMarre, also with the Haitian Community Network, said the Trump administration is leaving refugees in "legal limbo." She and others criticized rhetoric from Trump and his allies about Haitians.
"This administration wanted to cut off six months of legal duration in the United States while championing a message that 'we're after the criminals'... yet the result of family separations and children being detained," LaMarre said. "This is not about legality. TPS recipients are extremely vetted, are ordered to report their address and cannot have criminal convictions."
LaMarre said TPS is indeed temporary, but argued it hasn't been abused.
Councilmember Lourdes Barroso de Padilla, a daughter of Cuban immigrants, said the U.S. benefits from the courage and resilience of immigrants like Haitians who fled violence, natural disaster and economic hardship.
"(Immigrants) are integral. We are integral to the fabric of this community and this country. And yet time and time again, we see policies and rhetoric that target immigrants. With exclusion, fear and dehumanization instead of fairness and humanity," Barroso de Padilla said.
Barroso de Padilla said TPS isn't supposed to be a political pawn, but a lifeline. She said no person should be punished for seeking a safer life.
Last week, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine warned that ICE may increase its presence in Ohio and target Haitians as early as Tuesday.
Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein said the city isn't aware if ICE is stepping up operations yet. He pointed out ICE always has people on the ground in Columbus at some level.
Klein and other city officials criticized the Trump administration for targeting immigrants who don't have a criminal record.
"The concern is the surges that we're seeing that are not necessary, that do bleed into the unconstitutional actions and the rounding up of individuals who are otherwise hardworking immigrants that are paying taxes in our community," Klein said.
Klein said he thinks the Trump administration and ICE have no plan and are just trying to conduct mass roundups of immigrants to meet quotas. He called what happened in Minneapolis "chaos" and said what happened there could also happen in Columbus.
Mayor Andrew Ginther reminded the community at the press conference that the city doesn't aid ICE for civil immigration enforcement. He called on federal agents to meet the same standards as local law enforcement such as using body-worn cameras, not wearing masks and providing badge numbers upon request.
