“I can’t imagine any of the scenes I’ve seen on TV happening here and then not affecting our children here adversely, so we just thought, ‘let’s just avoid the whole thing and just not be open for right now until we find out what’s really going on in terms of immigration,’” Smiddy said.
The center has seen a sharp decline in English class attendees recently, Smiddy said. At the end of last year, there were around 80 regular students who attended classes and saw tutors to learn English. As of Jan. 15, that number dropped to around 20.
“Some say they are just too frightened to be outside. A lot of them even have legal status, I mean they’ve got their green card, but they’re just afraid they’re going to get swept up in what’s going on,” Smiddy said.
Temporary Protected Status, the legal way in which many of Springfield’s estimated 10-15,000 Haitians are in the country, was previously set to end after Tuesday after the Biden administration extended it, but the Department of Homeland Security announced an official termination would happen Sept. 2, 2025, saying that conditions in Haiti had improved and its immigrants no longer meet the conditions for TPS.
A federal judge last year ruled that ending TPS was unlawful, blocking the program from ending early.
U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes in Washington paused the termination of TPS for Haitians Monday while a lawsuit challenging the move proceeds. The TPS designation for people from the Caribbean island country was scheduled to end 11:59 p.m. Tuesday.
The ruling postpones the end of TPS for Haiti indefinitely while the case proceeds. The Trump administration could seek to stay the judge’s order in an effort to allow the termination to take effect as the case continues.
The literacy center tentatively plans to resume classes Monday as of now and will keep students informed, Smiddy said. All trainings that were previously planned for this week will continue as scheduled, he said.
Clark County Sheriff’s Office to ‘maintain the peace’ as TPS ends, will not enforce immigration laws
WATCH: Haitian restaurant in Springfield struggles as federal protections near expiration
• What’s coming?: After some initially warned of an anticipated 30-day ICE surge following the end of TPS, school and state officials stressed they have had no direct communication with the feds about potential enforcement actions, but they are preparing for the possibility.
• A community in fear: Reporter Cornelius Frolik traveled the streets of Springfield with a translator and spoke to more than a dozen Haitian people living and working in the Springfield area. Most of them expressed feelings of uncertainty and dread about the TPS cancellation.
• Lawsuits: Area Haitians on TPS are pinning their hopes on a couple of lawsuits that challenge the legality of the federal government’s decision to cancel the TPS designation for Haiti. Here are the details on those lawsuits, including one involving a Springfield man.
• Keket: Our reporters sat down with a local restaurant owner concerned that immigration enforcement fears could close her business. Her compelling personal story is captured in writing and video here.
• Residents prepare: More than 80 people took part in an educational event at Zion Hill Baptist Church in Springfield Thursday evening, learning about their rights and those of their neighbors regardless of immigration status.
• Law enforcement: Local law enforcement officials say they will work to “maintain the peace” amid any ICE surge, but they won’t enforce federal immigration law.
• City leaders: The Springfield City Commission unanimously passed a resolution asking federal immigration agents to follow local rules when conducting enforcement activities.
• Politicians react: Our statehouse reporter Avery Kreemer reached out to politicians who represent Dayton and Springfield at the state and national level about their views on ending TPS and an ICE surge. Read that story here.
• How we got here: We have been reporting on the growth of the Haitian population in Springfield and its effect on the community for years. This story from the archive explains why so many Haitians relocated to Springfield, Ohio.
• Community survey: In addition to reporters interviewing residents on the street, we created an online survey to gather community perspective. I’ll have a summary of responses in an upcoming story.
• Dayton action: Several Dayton restaurants and other businesses closed Friday and hundreds of people gathered in front of U.S. Rep. Mike Turner’s Dayton office as part of the nationwide protest of ICE operations.
• VIDEO: What to know about Haitian immigration in Springfield
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