A group of pastors in Springfield say federal immigration officials have met with them to talk through how the agency will handle Haitians in the city after the Trump administration ended temporary protected status.
Hundreds of thousands of Haitians in the U.S. under TPS, many in Columbus and Springfield, may face deportation without legal status. ICE won't say what its intentions are. The group, called G92, is worried the immigrants will be unfairly targeted by ICE.
Carl Ruby, a pastor in Springfield who advocates for the Haitian community, said he and other pastors met with ICE officials recently. He said this was organized by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and U.S. Sen. Jon Husted.
Ruby said he was told ICE will make it harder for the Haitians if they choose to remain in the U.S. and pursue asylum cases.
"That's what (ICE) said is 'we're using a carrot and stick approach.' The carrot is we're gonna offer them an airplane ticket. We're gonna to offer them some money. And the stick is we're gonna make their lives miserable," Ruby said.
The Department of Homeland Security has offered paid flights out of the U.S. and an additional $2,600 check to those who choose to self deport.
In a statement, a DHS spokesperson said of about 3 million undocumented immigrants that have left the U.S. or been deported since President Donald Trump took office, 2.2 million have self-deported.
“We encourage all illegal aliens to take control of their departure with the CBP Home App. The United States is offering illegal aliens $2,600 and a free flight to self-deport now. We encourage every person here illegally to take advantage of this offer and reserve the chance to come back to the U.S. the right legal way to live the American dream. If not, you will be arrested and deported without a chance to return," the statement said.
ICE won't say what its intentions are and whether it will target Haitians residing in communities like Springfield or Columbus. The agency told WOSU on Monday it won't comment on ongoing or future operations.
Ruby says for many a plane ticket back to Haiti is not an option due to how dangerous the country is.
"I mean, how many of you would risk your lives for 2,600 bucks," Ruby told reporters. "I've talked to people in my church who have been tortured because they opposed corruption back in Haiti."
Ruby said he's not heard of many cases of Haitians choosing to self deport back to Haiti, which is plagued by intense gang violence.
Ruby said ICE told him they may detain immigrants seeking asylum who may have temporary legal status in order to pressure them to self-deport.
DHS claims Haiti has recovered "sufficiently" from the 2010 earthquakes that originally prompted a TPS designation for the country.
However, the U.S. Secretary of State’s Office considers Haiti unsafe to travel to and notes commercial flights from the U.S. to the country’s capital Port-Au-Prince are suspended. The travel advisory notes this is due to the risk of crime, kidnapping, terrorism, unrest and limited health care.
Violent, heavily armed gangs, some of whom are considered terrorist organizations by the U.S., control much of the country.
DeWine, on Monday, reiterated previous comments to reporters that ending TPS for Haitians is a "mistake."
DeWine said he hasn't been notified about whether ICE plans to target Haitian refugees who were in the United States under temporary protected status. He said he's seen recent reports from CBS News and Fox News citing unnamed sources that ICE is preparing to begin deporting Haitians in Ohio and around the U.S.
"I'm reading the same reports that you're seeing, which indicates that that will be happening, but we don't have any official word at all from ICE," DeWine said.
DeWine defended the refugees, noting their contributions to the economy at restaurants and in healthcare. DeWine said the Trump administration may not be thinking about this and called for legal immigration reform.
