SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — More than 1,000 supporters, double what organizers expected, packed St. John’s Missionary Baptist Church here Feb. 2 calling for an extension of Temporary Protected Status for Haitians, one of many recent solidarity actions. Hundreds more were turned away by a fire marshal who said the crowd exceeded the building’s capacity.
“Our city of 60,000 is home to around 15,000 Haitian immigrants. Many have lived and worked under TPS for years,” Viles Dorsainvil, cofounder and executive director of the Haitian Community Help and Support Center, told the Militant. “These are workers — factory workers, medical workers, education workers — who are building the country and have contributed so much to the community all over Ohio.”
Later on Feb. 2 U.S. District Court Judge Ana C. Reyes blocked the government from revoking TPS for Haitians, one day before it was set to expire.
“The court ruling provides temporary relief, but we know the Trump administration is appealing,” Dorsainvil said. “Right now many people are afraid, but we have to continue to speak out. The huge protests in Minneapolis are a signal to us that growing numbers in this country condemn targeting people based on skin color, language or country of origin.”
The Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers union is calling for full legal status and no deportations. BCTGM Local 57, which organizes workers at a Klosterman’s commercial bread bakery here, issued a statement Feb. 10 against the arrest and deportation of Haitian immigrants.
“Our union’s guiding principle is solidarity,” the statement says. “All workers deserve the same legal rights, regardless of the country in which they were born. Together we can fight for decent wages and benefits and safety on the job and in our communities.”
“We urge all working people to join in solidarity to defend Haitian workers in Springfield from deportation. An injury to one is an injury to all!”