Immigration

NPR  -  Thousands of Haitians and Syrians in the United States could soon face deportation after the Supreme Court earlier this year permitted the Trump administration to revoke Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for those groups. To remain in the country, these immigrants will need to find other legal options. More than half of the nearly 30,000 Haitian immigrants in Columbus, Ohio, rely on TPS. In nearby Springfield, Ohio, where Trump and his allies made false accusations that Haitian immigrants were eating cats and dogs, around 12,000 are on TPS.

Many immigrants in Ohio are feeling out of sorts as they await clarity on their legal status, says George Shillcock of NPR network station WOSU. Yola LaMarre from the Haitian Community Network tells him that many are organizing their affairs and seeking alternative legal avenues to remain in the U.S., where some have lived for more than a decade. The Department of Homeland Security tells Shillcock that conditions in Haiti have improved enough for Haitian nationals to return. The U.S. Secretary of State's Office considers the country unsafe for travel. Commercial flights from the U.S. to the country's capital, Port-au-Prince, are suspended, and the travel advisory highlights risks of crime, kidnapping, terrorism and limited healthcare. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has criticized the Supreme Court's ruling and has defended immigrants' positive contributions to the state's economy, specifically in the restaurant and healthcare sectors.