Rev. Adam Banks said he's seen a drop in the number of Haitian parishioners at First Baptist Church on South Fountain Avenue in Springfield, starting in late 2024.
“We have seen a decrease in participation, attendance, and an inability to even remain in contact with people who just don't want to be the focal point of a folks misery and just negativity,” he said.
Banks is part of a multi-denomination group of Springfield pastors urging residents in the city and beyond to join them. They’re mobilizing to fill in the gaps for thousands of Haitian immigrants who entered the United States on Temporary Protected Status, a designation awarded to their home nation in 2010.
But on Monday, July 27, TPS designation ended for Haiti and Syria after a lengthy court battle that went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Many of these immigrants now need a myriad of support, Banks said, including money for rent, utilities and other economic needs.
“Several of the congregations (in Springfield) have Mercy Ministries that host clothing giveaways, food giveaways and help alleviate some of those financial stresses," he said.
The Springfield Haitian Support Center and St. Vincent DePaul are accepting monetary and non-perishable donations as well as hygiene items. Volunteers are also delivering groceries and providing transportation when these immigrants need.
According to the support center, many Haitians are staying in their homes as uncertainty and fear increases.
With a population of just under 60,000, Springfield is home to an estimated 12,000-15,000 Haitians. Those impacted by the end of TPS cannot file for unemployment benefits.
On Wednesday afternoon, July 29, 2026, Banks joined other faith leaders at Greater Grace Temple on Leffel Lane. Rev. Carl Ruby of Central Christian Church implored the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to exercise humanity as it carries out its mission.
“We're here to respectfully ask Homeland Security and ICE to do what President Trump has repeatedly promised, and that's focus only on the worst of the worst and that we support efforts to keep our border secure,” Ruby said. “We support efforts to deport people who are violent offenders so long as it is done humanely. But we are asking them not to come to Springfield and deport folks here.”
Ruby is also a founder of G92, a coalition of churches, faith-based organizations and individuals in Springfield united to support Haitians immigrants facing threat of deportation. The group’s name is from ger, a Hebrew word meaning "stranger," "foreigner," or "sojourner" that appears 92 times in the Old Testament.
The Ohio Immigrant Alliance has created the Ohio Immigrant Hotline at 419-777-4357 for people get help and information.
“If you think your loved one was detained by ICE, if you can't find them, if you need a referral to an immigration lawyer, if you have a question, if you're just scared, you can give us a call,"alliance Executive Director Lynn Tramonti said. "We will try to help.”
However, she called most of these actions Band-aids on a gaping wound.
“We need our members of Congress who have created this immigration system that doesn't make sense, to actually do their jobs and create a U.S. immigration system we can be proud of and that's not sending people back to a place where they will be killed,” Tramonti said.
At the same time, some are advising Haitian and other immigrants in a similar situation to seek a reputable immigration attorney.
For about eight years, attorney Geoff Pipoly represented thousands of Haitian TPS holders. Last month before the U.S. Supreme Court, he and his team argued against ending TPS protection on Haiti.
The court ruled 6-3 in favor of the Trump Administration and its authority to end Temporary Protected Status. It also decided federal courts cannot review the Department of Homeland Security's assessment that a country's conditions no longer warrant this safety designation.
Now Haitians have to find an alternative pathway to remain in the U.S. According to Pipoly, options include securing an employment-based visa, a familial-based visa or gaining asylum.
However, he’s not optimistic, especially with regard to any immigrant receiving asylum.
“In general, the administration over the past 18 months, and in particular over the last six months, through their appointees to the Board of Immigration Appeals, which is the administrative law appellate that sets policy for the immigration courts, has dramatically shrunk acceptable bases for asylum. It is harder than it ever has been to successfully get asylum,” Pipoly said. “Even before this administration, it was very, very difficult to successfully get asylum.”
