“These [claims] are patently ridiculous and offensive to the good people who are volunteering their time to help our Haitian neighbors,” Ruby, lead pastor at Central Christian Church, told the News-Sun.
Claims, all of which Ruby denied, include that G92 is encouraging Haitians to give up their parental rights, that donations are not being used to help Haitians, that the group is involved in a child trafficking scheme and that Ruby and the group are collaborating with ICE to encourage Haitians to self-deport.
G92 recently expressed its gratitude for outside support, including large monetary donations, but asked people from outside the area to refrain from traveling to the city for now to allow established groups with training to handle the situation.
Springfield has not seen an influx of ICE officers as some expected. The end of Temporary Protected Status for Haitians was blocked by a federal judge on Feb. 2, a decision the Trump administration is now appealing. The judge on Thursday rejected the government’s request to allow the TPS termination to go into effect while the case is appealed, saying it would put Haitian TPS holders at risk of detention and removal.
Springfield G92, which was formed last year to help protect immigrant rights and distribute resources and information, has organized numerous trainings related to immigration enforcement; collected monetary and necessity donations that include diapers and baby formula; connected immigrants with legal resources; helped organize a large town hall in December with the NAACP; and organized a large faith event on the eve of the anticipated TPS expiration to advocate for its extension.
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.
Springfield NAACP President Denise Williams strongly rejected any claims of wrongdoing about Ruby. She said he is “a great man and his intentions are pure.”
“Not only are we fighting the immigrant [enforcement] situation, but we are fighting with our community, with all of the threats, all of the nasty words and lies that has been spilled; it is more than enough,” Williams said. “It upsets me to even talk about it. We out here on the front lines trying to protect our own neighbors, and they come up with all of these nasty lies and just take it and run with it.”
Williams said fighting within the community while people are trying to support immigrant residents, as “God has told us to do,” is leading to bomb threats and hateful messages. She said the situation is “so disgusting.”
Lynn Tramonte, Ohio Immigrant Alliance director, said Springfield churches, Haitian groups and “concerned citizens” have supported Haitians afraid of losing their legal status since the start of President Donald Trump’s second term.
She said organization became more solid after national Republicans spread false rumors about Haitian residents eating people’s pets.
“There’s this proverb that says, ‘They tried to bury us; they didn’t realize we were seeds,’ and when people are attacked, it’s a motivator to get better organized,” Tramonte said. “It’s been extremely impressive to see people, volunteers from all over inside Springfield and from the extending region planning for what do we do, how do we help the families if they have to make decisions about leaving and they want their children to grow up here because their children are citizens or because it’s not safe in Haiti.”
Tramonte said that people need to have evidence to share information, recalling the 2024 lies that she connected to the slew of bomb threats and the march of a neo-Nazi hate group in the city.
She said influencers are spreading falsehoods to solicit online engagement, which “doesn’t help Haitians be safe to spread lies about people that they’re working with.” Springfield has faced numerous bomb threats similar to 2024 since Feb. 9, which Tramonte called “terrifying.”
“These accusations are lies; it’s the opposite of what’s happening in terms of what the leadership is doing in Springfield,” Tramonte said. “They’re trying to help families and they are helping families.”
Ruby tied influencer-spread rumors to efforts to go viral.
“These are people who make money based on clicks, so they put out sensational accusations for their own financial gain,” Ruby said.
Since rumors began spreading, Ruby said he and his church have received “angry, accusatory and threatening phone calls.” He said the FBI and Department of Homeland Security reached out to him expressing concerns about the calls, accusations and threats, and are not investigating any wrongdoing on behalf of G92. Ruby has been forwarding his calls to the FBI.
The News-Sun has reviewed transcripts of some voicemails Ruby has received. One person told Ruby, “You are disgusting. God does not love you. Jesus is not going to save you.” Another told Ruby to “watch yourself.”
Ruby tied claims of G92 working with ICE to a meeting he and others had with federal officials, who encouraged the advocates to promote self-deportation. Ruby said he asked officials if they thought it would be safe to return to Haiti and “they refused to answer.” He and the others in the meeting declined to help the government in that way.
Some of the rumors may have been fueled by Springfield G92 not having an active social media presence, Tramonte said, attributing that to it being a small group focused on “on-the-ground work.”
“Now more than ever the local protection work is happening in person; it’s very local. If you’re from the region outside of Springfield, you know who the key leaders are and you know where to go if you want to volunteer,” Tramonte said. “If you’re from another state, it’s not going to be visible online, and that’s on purpose because that’s how we protect ourselves and keep what we’re doing, just doing the work instead of bragging about it on social media.”
To learn more about supporting various Springfield organizations, visit springfieldg92.org/get-involved.
RECENT LOCAL HAITI TPS COVERAGE
- Haiti TPS: Judge denies stay request, says DHS has Springfield TPS holders’ addresses
- Springfield City Commission meeting draws calls for unity
- Attorneys for Haitians push back on DHS request to let protections expire as case continues
- 3 Springfield houses of worship receive bomb threats
- Churches may help house thousands of Springfield children left behind if TPS expires
- Haitian leader: Springfield bomb threats bring back memories of dangers in Haiti
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