“Our students, staff, and school community do not deserve to have their daily schedules disrupted by senseless threats of violence,” said SCSD Superintendent Bob Hill. “We appreciate the continued partnership of the State of Ohio, the Springfield Police Division, our families, and the broader community. By working together and deploying these additional resources strategically, we will keep our schools open and safe while preserving a stable, uninterrupted learning environment. The Wildcat Family remains resilient, and better days are ahead.”
Law enforcement will also have an increased presence at the schools beginning Tuesday.
Families were asked to pick up their students by 10:30 a.m. or at Springfield High School starting at 11:30 a.m.
No threat was found after safety forces, including the FBI and bomb squads, swept areas like the municipal court and public safety buildings, where “suspicious packages” were found, according to Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine. Threats referenced pipe bombs and said Haitian immigrants should be gone from Springfield, DeWine said.
An estimated 10,000 to 15,000 people from Haiti live in the Springfield area, and many are Temporary Protected Status holders. TPS was previously set to end after Feb. 3, but a judge paused that while a lawsuit challenging the move goes through the courts; the ruling postpones the end of TPS for Haiti indefinitely while the case proceeds.
The Trump administration on Friday filed an appeal in the case and a federal district judge ordered the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to state whether it’s planning an Immigration and Customs Enforcement surge in Springfield and elsewhere if the end of Temporary Protected Status for Haitians goes forward.
DIG INTO OUR HAITIAN COVERAGE
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.
• Springfield City Hall, school, county hit by threats tied to Haitian immigration concerns
• VIDEO: What to know about Haitian immigration in Springfield
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