Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine appeared on CNN’s “State of the Union” program June 28, reiterating to host Jake Tapper his position that deporting Haitian immigrants is “just not in our own self-interest.”
Ohio became a focal point for the national immigration debate when President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance spread false rumors of Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, eating pets during the 2024 presidential campaign.
This week, the Supreme Court ruled that the Trump administration can remove the Temporary Protected Status designation for hundreds of thousands of Haitians and Syrians, opening the door for those immigrants’ deportation.
DeWine, who has long broken with other Republicans in his position on Ohio’s Haitian immigrants, said the day of the court’s ruling that removing the tens of thousands of Haitians living in the state would be a mistake.
He echoed that point during the June 28 show.
Ohio relies on Haitians to fill essential roles in manufacturing, food and health care, DeWine said.
“It’s Haitians who many times are taking care of your mom or your dad who has Alzheimer’s, taking care of family members who might be in a nursing home,” DeWine said. “And to say we’re going to pull all those out, it’s just not in our own self-interest.”
Haiti still very dangerous, DeWine says
Immigrants from foreign countries may be deemed to have TPS by the Department of Homeland Security if there is ongoing armed conflict, an environmental disaster or other extraordinary and temporary conditions.
Despite the government’s decision to revoke TPS for Haitians, DeWine told Tapper, Haiti is still a very dangerous place. It is not safe for people to return to Haiti due to gang control, the governor said, and they risk being injured or killed if they do.
“Gangs control a significant part of Haiti, so it is clearly not safe,” DeWine told Tapper. “Anyone who has followed Haiti over a long, extended period of time knows that it’s worse than it’s, frankly, ever been. Certainly, in recent memory.”
Legal issue different from policy, DeWine says
When asked if he would fight back against the Supreme Court decision to remove TPS designation, DeWine said he accepts the decision, but it’s important to separate the legal decision from the issue of public policy.
“Again, I would hope the Trump administration would reconsider what they are doing,” DeWine said. “This is an administration that is focused on a lot of jobs. These are jobs that are being filled by Haitians that are filling jobs that would not be filled any other way.”
DeWine told Tapper applauds the Trump administration for doing a “tremendous job” at the southern border, but now the country has to look toward its own self-interest.
“We are a nation of immigrants,” DeWine said. “Ohio is a state that was built by immigrants.”
Dispatch Reporter Nora Igelnik can be reached at nigelnik@dispatch.com.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: DeWine tells CNN Trump should reconsider action on Haitian immigrants
Reporting by Nora Igelnik, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Nora Igelnik, Columbus Dispatch | USA TODAY Network
