Two Ohio Republicans in the U.S. House joined Democrats to support a resolution extending temporary protected status for Haitian immigrants through January 2029.
U.S. Rep. Mike Carey and Mike Turner, whose districts include or are close to Springfield, were among 10 Republicans who supported the bill in an April 16 vote.
The bill comes as the Trump administration is trying to end TPS for Haitians and other countries, which the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to consider this month.
Neither Carey, whose district includes part of Franklin County, nor Turner discussed their votes on social media as of 12:30 p.m. April 17.
Of the approximately 350,000 Haitians in the United States, about 20,000 live in Springfield and 30,000 in central Ohio.
Advocates for the Haitian community in Springfield said in a brief filed with the U.S. Supreme Court that Haitians have revitalized the local economy and that it would be negatively affected if they were forced to leave.
Gov. Mike DeWine said in February that ending TPS for Haitians is “wrong” and could negatively affect Ohio’s economy.
Springfield became a national talking point during the 2024 presidential campaign season after President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance, who is also originally from Ohio and was one of the state’s U.S. Senators before becoming vice president, falsely claimed that Haitian immigrants there were eating cats and dogs.
Haitian people have had TPS since 2010 after a devastating earthquake killed hundreds of thousands of people, which has been extended multiple times amid other disasters and political turmoil. TPS is a special protection status granted to people from countries experiencing environmental disaster, epidemics, ongoing armed conflict or other extraordinary and temporary conditions.
Trump also previously tried to end TPS for Haitians during his first term, but advocates challenged that in federal court, according to the National Immigrant Forum.
Anna Lynn Winfrey covers the northwestern suburbs for The Columbus Dispatch. She can be reached at awinfrey@dispatch.com.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Two Ohio Republicans supported extending Haitian temporary protected status
Reporting by Anna Lynn Winfrey, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
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