SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — One hundred and fifty people turned out here in sweltering heat July 3 to protest the U.S. Supreme Court decision granting the federal government permission to cancel Temporary Protected Status for Haitian immigrants and to call instead for its extension.
“We’re here to show that we are a city that loves our neighbors, no matter where you come from, no matter what your skin color is, no matter your nationality,” Jen Casto of the Indivisible Springfield coalition told the crowd.
An estimated 10,000 to 15,000 Haitians living in Springfield — close to a quarter of the population — could lose their jobs and face possible deportation if the government ends their TPS protection.
“I’m here for our Haitian neighbors,” rally participant P.C. Long told the Militant. A member of International Association of Machinists Local 1472, Long came with his wife, Holly Combs, a nurse. A number of unionists came to the rally, including members of Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers Local 57 and the United Auto Workers.
Biassu Pierre, a TPS holder from Haiti, told the Militant. “I am here today to let people know that Haiti is not safe and people cannot return to Haiti. We have to keep fighting to be safe and in a safe place. Our fight is not over!”
Haitians first won TPS in 2010 after a massive earthquake killed over 300,000 people and destroyed much of the country’s capital. The last 16 years has seen a steady stream of additional earthquakes and hurricanes, a deadly cholera epidemic, the fall of the central government, and the rise to power of murderous criminal gangs that run rampant over much of the country.
Since 2020, the State Department has kept in place its highest “Do Not Travel” advisory for Haiti.
Toward the end of the rally, Viles Dorsainvil, a TPS holder himself and executive director of the Haitian Community Help and Support Center here, spoke. “Haitian TPS holders have become essential members of our community,” he said. “The simple gesture of coming out today means a lot to us, and we walk shoulder-to-shoulder.”