ICE Detentions of Haitians in Ohio More Than Double After Protected Status Ends
A new report finds that ICE detained 74 Haitians in Springfield, Ohio, between August 7 and September 17, a 142% increase after Temporary Protected Status for Haitians ended on July 27. Advocates say only 8% had removal orders and almost none had criminal records.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement has sharply increased detentions of Haitian immigrants in Ohio since the Trump administration ended Temporary Protected Status for Haitians on July 27, according to a new report from the Ohio Immigrant Alliance. The report, based on detention facility rosters, found that 74 Haitians were detained in the Springfield area between August 7 and September 17 — a 142.3 percent increase over the 26 Haitians booked in four Ohio facilities during the entire period from January 1 to July 26.
The report examined rosters at four ICE-contracted facilities: Butler County Jail in Hamilton, Mahoning County Justice Center in Youngstown, Seneca County Jail in Tiffin, and Corrections Center of Northwest Ohio in Stryker. Two other ICE detention facilities in Ohio, the Geauga County Safety Center in Chardon and the Northeast Ohio Correctional Center in Youngstown, do not publish their rosters publicly and were not included. Between July 27 and August 31, at least 445 people were booked into the four facilities, including 239 Latin Americans and 62 Haitians.
Advocates say the detentions are not targeting people with criminal records. Springfield ICE Watch reported that only 8 percent of Haitians detained in Springfield had removal orders. Erik Crew, a staff attorney at Haitian Bridge Alliance, said he interviewed 15 Haitians held at the Butler County Jail. «None had criminal records,» Crew said. «All entered the U.S. with its authorization, all had active and valid work authorization, and all had done everything the U.S. had asked.»
The report also describes ICE enforcement tactics in Springfield, where about 15,000 Haitians live. Springfield ICE Watch said agents have been seen conducting traffic stops in the middle of the road while people commute to or from work, and appearing in parking lots of apartment complexes with high immigrant populations, grocery stores, and gas stations. The Butler County Jail, which had 1,078 people in custody as of Friday morning, held 44 Haitians between July 27 and August 31. Its general housing capacity is 844, though the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction recommends a capacity of 756, according to a 2025 inspection report.
The detentions follow a U.S. Supreme Court ruling at the end of June that allowed President Donald Trump to end temporary protected status for roughly 330,000 Haitians who fled violence in their home country. Legal protected status officially ended on July 27. The change has left many Haitians in Springfield, who hold a mixture of temporary protected status, citizenship, and other legal statuses, facing uncertainty and increased enforcement.
ICE is also changing how it monitors Haitians in the area. Viles Dorsainvil, executive director of the Haitian Support Center, said the agency is starting to use the smartphone app SmartLINK to track Haitians in Springfield and appears to be phasing out ankle monitors. Hundreds of Haitians in Springfield still wear ankle monitors, and many have received letters requiring them to report to ICE offices in Blue Ash or Westerville. «We don’t know what is going to happen, but what we’ve seen so far is the relief of the ankle monitors,» Dorsainvil said.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said ICE evaluates participants in the Alternatives to Detention program on a «case-by-case basis» and that decisions about electronic monitoring are made by career law enforcement officers after reviewing factors including immigration status, criminal history, compliance history, and humanitarian or medical considerations. The spokesperson said the program uses a continuum of technology including SmartLINK and GPS monitoring, and that technology is not assigned based on nationality.
The enforcement has had broader effects on the community. The Ohio Immigrant Alliance report said more than 90 immigrant students from preschool to high school have missed school for weeks «due to ICE’s presence and parents’ concerns for safety.» Dorsainvil said some parents are keeping their children at home. He also described a recent incident in which a Haitian woman went to an ICE check-in with her two-month-old baby and was detained, while ICE gave the baby back to the woman’s driver — someone she did not know well. The driver brought the baby to the Haitian Support Center, where staff were able to locate the father.
Pastor Gilbert Joubert Adrien, a Springfield pastor detained by ICE in August, was recently released from Butler County Jail. Dorsainvil said Adrien used his time in detention to minister to others. «He told us that he was a source of consolation for other detainees,» Dorsainvil said. The death of Pierre Damas Bel, a 20-year-old Wright State University student who died in an apparent suicide last month after his family said he was forced to wear an ankle monitor, has intensified calls from advocates for ICE to stop using the devices. «We don’t know if they will come back,» Dorsainvil said. «What we all have to do is to continue to raise our concerns.»
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