Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine criticized President Donald Trump’s attempt to end Temporary Protected Status for thousands of Haitian immigrants, calling the policy “wrong” and warning it could hurt Ohio’s economy.
In a Feb. 22 interview on CBS News’ “Face the Nation,” DeWine defended Haitians living and working legally in Ohio, arguing that they have strengthened local communities and filled jobs amid labor shortages. This comes weeks after a federal judge blocked the government’s motion to terminate Temporary Protected Status for Haitians that was originally set to terminate earlier in the month.
Here’s more on what DeWine said.
Mike DeWine calls Trump’s effort to end TPS for Haitians ‘wrong’
During a panel discussion with the governors of Kansas, Kentucky and Indiana, host Margaret Brennan brought up that Ohio has been a focal point of immigration debates, with tens of thousands of Haitians living in the state.
DeWine said he did not raise the timing of any potential ICE enforcement surge during a recent White House visit, but said his opposition to ending TPS for Haitians was “very clear:”
“I think the policy to revoke that is wrong … I don’t think there’s a consensus for taking people who are working, who are supporting their family, and we’ve kind of seen it, almost in a micro way, with the Haitian community that’s come into Springfield. Springfield is an industrial city, manufacturing city that was down. It has been coming back. And frankly, one of the reasons it’s coming back is because of the Haitians who are working there … So I think the policy there is wrong.”
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine
DeWine noted that the city’s economic uptick was tied, in part, to Haitian workers who filled jobs that employers could not staff otherwise, and that ending TPS would leave those workers unemployed and businesses without labor.
Trump, Vance thrust Springfield, Ohio, into national spotlight
Ohio was at the center of the immigration debate during Trump and JD Vance’s 2024 presidential campaign after Trump repeated claims that Haitian migrants were eating pets during a presidential debate, claims that were proved false. When asked whether he has communicated his views directly to the president’s immigration team, DeWine said on “Face the Nation” that he believes the administration is aware of his position and understands the economic role immigrants play in Ohio.
“We have people who are fixing up houses, opening up restaurants, spending money and filling jobs that couldn’t be filled before,” he said. “[W]e need them in Ohio. We’re a state that as far as our influx of people coming into the state last year, 70% of those individuals were foreign born. They’re giving us vibrancy and helping us and the fact that they’re working creates other jobs frankly.”
What is Temporary Protected Status?
Temporary Protected Status is a designation granted to people from countries experiencing armed conflict, environmental disasters or other extraordinary conditions, allowing them to live and work legally in the U.S., according to the Columbus Dispatch.
Approximately 30,000 Haitians, many with TPS, live in central Ohio, according to The Dispatch. An estimated 20,000 more live in Springfield.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio Gov. DeWine criticizes Trump plan to end TPS for Haitian immigrants
Reporting by Alex Perry, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
