Right now, the Supreme Court is weighing Temporary Protected Status for Haitian immigrants in America. As the justices deliberate, entire communities are living in limbo; they can’t legally work, can’t plan for their futures, and if they drive, they’re forced to do so on expired driver’s licenses.
Reporter Sarah Szilagy spent time in Springfield, Ohio, where the Haitian community was harassed by Donald Trump in 2024, when he baselessly claimed they were “eating the pets.” Szilagy learned how Haitian immigrants are navigating asylum cases and are attempting to keep their lives together in the Midwest, despite a hostile government, harassment from neo-Nazi groups, and even bomb threats.
But it isn't just the immigrant community that is facing consequences. The city of Springfield is also suffering from the Trump administration’s persistent targeting of Ohio’s Haitian communities. With Haitians unable to lawfully work, the Springfield metropolitan area’s tax revenues are declining fast.
The Supreme Court is expected to issue its opinion on whether to extend Temporary Protected Status in late June or early July. Meanwhile, some Haitians are leaving Springfield; others are staying and waiting.
“I call it, ‘To leave or not to leave,’ because where are you going to go?” Vilès Dorsainvil, a Haitian immigrant and executive director of the Haitian Support Center, told Szilagy. “If you leave to go somewhere else in the USA, you will still be a target.” Read Sarah’s piece here.
—Sophie Hurwitz
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