The town hall will be put on by the NAACP and G92, which is a coalition of churches and people of faith committed to immigrant advocacy.
“This is an important moment for Springfield. The only good future we have is one with Haitians and others like them who choose to make Springfield their new home,” said Carl Ruby, pastor at Central Christian Church and member of G92. “There is a choice before us: do we move forward toward a better Springfield, or do we return to decades of decline? I’ve made my choice and that’s why I am committed to helping my Haitian brothers and sisters in Christ make this their home.”
Participants include Mayor Rob Rue, City Manager Bryan Heck, Health Commissioner Chris Cook, Greater Springfield Partnership President Mike McDorman, Springfield Police Division Chief Allison Elliott, Springfield City Schools Superintendent Bob Hill, Advocates for Basic Legal Equality immigration attorney, Haitian Community Help and Support Center President Vilès Dorsainvil, St. Vincent de Paul Executive Director Casey Rollins and Ruby.
“Immigration enforcement actions bring fear, disruption and lasting consequences for families and communities,” according to the press release. “With Springfield anticipating such activity in the near future, the town hall will address how to assist and protect our Haitian neighbors with compassion and solidarity and give residents an opportunity to ask questions.”
Temporary Protected Status was initially set to end Feb. 3, 2026 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 then ruled that ending TPS was unlawful, blocking the program from ending early. TPS is still set to expire Feb. 3, 2026 as of now.
Haiti continues to be under a level four travel advisory through the state department, with the agency warning against kidnapping, crime, terrorist activity, civil unrest and limited health care.
Springfield has an estimated 12,000-15,000 Haitian immigrant residents, according to the Clark County Combined Health District. Many entered the country under humanitarian parole.
Many Haitians who came into the country under the Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan and Venezuelan (CHNV) humanitarian parole program and did not obtain another status, such as TPS, lost their jobs when the Department of Homeland Security began terminating their statuses in June. The terminations were appealed, but a district court decision determined those here under humanitarian parole can have their statuses revoked while a lawsuit on the effort plays out.
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