SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — In the days and weeks since President-elect Donald Trump amplified false claims about Haitian immigrants harming pets in Springfield, Gov. Mike DeWine has consistently said the 15,000 or so Haitians are here legally and are crucial to the local economy.
"These are people who came to Springfield because they want to work," DeWine said. "They want to support their families. They are being hired because there were not other people to fill those jobs. So, that is the stark reality of this."
In early October, Trump said he would revoke Temporary Protected Status for Haitian immigrants in Springfield and deport them.
Senator-elect Bernie Moreno said the administration will not revoke TPS immediately, but will not extend it past February of 2026 when it expires for Haiti. He said businesses in Springfield that employ Haitian immigrants should start planning now to replace them in a little more than a year.
"That gives you 13 months to make plans," Moreno said. "If you're a business owner, start making plans to figure out what you're going to do to replace workers that were there that, eventually, when you hired them, you had to know they weren't always going to be there because they were on Temporary Protected Status."
According to the American Immigration Council, the Secretary of Homeland Security has the authority to grant Temporary Protected Status, not Congress. It has to be renewed every 18 months.
The designation is made for people from countries dealing with crises, including war, natural and environmental disasters and other extraordinary and temporary conditions.
Immigration Attorney Rishi Oza with Brown Immigration Law said administrations have to take several factors into account when considering revoking TPS.
"They have to go through what are the current country conditions there. What are the capabilities of that country to absorb the number of people coming back," Oza said. "TPS is inherently designed to be temporary, but sometimes the conditions in those countries don't warrant somebody going back there."
Oza also said when the government revokes TPS, it can be challenged in court.
According to the American Immigration Council, when the Trump Administration tried to end Haiti's temporary protected status in 2018, a court stopped that effort and then the Biden Administration reversed it.
Moreno questions why the U.S. system gives weight to specific countries over others.
"So, it's not about being cruel. It's about being fair," Moreno said. "And again, to the businesses that are there, start making plans for February of 2026, and to the people who work there, start making plans."
10TV reached out to the Haitian Community Help and Support Center in Springfield and the Greater Springfield Partnership but did not hear back.