“The goal of the event is to project love, unity and support for our immigrant neighbors and our community,” Springfield G92 said. “We hope to raise awareness of God’s call to stand with the oppressed, to welcome our immigrant community and to treat others as we would want to be treated if our lives were at risk.”
Springfield is home to an estimated 10,000 to 12,000 Haitian immigrants, a number that has declined this year following President Donald Trump’s inauguration. The vast majority are believed to have entered the country legally — some through a program the Trump administration has now ended, while many others have received termination notices. Many others received Temporary Protected Status, which is currently slated to end in February, though the administration tried to end it earlier.
The city became a focus of the national immigration debate last year leading up to and following the first 2024 presidential debate. Trump and other prominent Republican figures spread a false rumor that Haitians in the city had been eating pets. What followed were weeks of bomb threats to public places, fears and uncertainty for the immigrant population.
Gov. Mike DeWine recently visited the city of Springfield, holding meetings with city officials and business leaders. The meetings were not open to the media, but DeWine told reporters after the meetings that the turmoil around Haitian immigrants appeared to have stabilized, though that may be temporary.
Business leaders are bracing for the possibility of mass layoffs once the Temporary Protected Status for Haitian immigrants expires next year, according to DeWine. Businesses and immigrants already took a hit earlier this summer when some immigrants in the region had their humanitarian parole terminated, meaning businesses could no longer legally employ them. One company told state officials it had to lay off 84 people overnight when that took effect.
“Our goal remains the same. Our goal is to help the people who live in Springfield and the people who live in Clark County, and that will remain our goal,” DeWine said on Friday.
Donations of diapers and baby wipes for American-born babies to Haitian immigrants will be accepted during the Saturday event.
More information is available at ohiog92.org.
Springfield G92’s name comes from the Hebrew word ger, which means sojourner, foreigner or immigrant, according to the group’s website. The word appears 92 times in the Old Testament of the Bible and “reflects the call to” welcome, protect and provide for “those who live among us without a native homeland,” the group said.
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