Springfield Haitian leader, immigration attorney describe Trump orders' impact
Jan. 27—Thousands of Haitian immigrants in the Springfield area could be impacted by President Donald Trump's immigration executive orders.
These orders include one calling for termination of certain Humanitarian Parole programs, making specific mention of a program for Haitians. Thousands of Haitian immigrants have entered the United States legally under parole programs, before many obtained further legal status like Temporary Protected Status or asylum.
It is unclear what this will mean as far as timing, appeals, and possible deportations locally, and many Haitian immigrants are scared and uncertain as a result.
Vilès Dorsainvil, Haitian Community Help and Support Center president, said he and others at the center are fielding constant calls from immigrants looking for answers. He said he tells them what he knows and encourages them to know their rights and carry certain documents with them, which include those listing immigration statuses and notarized power of attorney documents for people with children.
The uncertainty that comes from the Trump administration's deportation efforts affects a lot of people, Dorsainvil said.
"Every human being needs that kind of stability — mental stability — and to be sure that they can continue to live their lives and everything," Dorsainvil said. "But when this most vulnerable group of people, fleeing their countries and finding themselves in a place where they believe they should have been OK to work and send their kids to school and live their lives — they're in the midst of all of this and their future is so uncertain."
In recent years, Haiti has been hit by natural disasters that intensified pre-existing severe poverty and political instability. In 2021, Haiti's president was assassinated, and since then gang violence has taken over much of the country, with murders and rapes increasing. In 2023, the U.S. ordered all non-essential personnel to leave the country.
The U.S. has renewed the Temporary Protected Status program for Haitians multiple times, most recently through Feb. 3, 2026.
Katie Kersh, senior attorney with Advocates for Basic Legal Equality (ABLE), said in one of Trump's new executive orders, he outlines ceasing offering work permits to immigrants in the country without TPS or other status who are applying for asylum. A legal challenge could be successful, but in the meantime, thousands of Haitians in Springfield could be impacted, she said.
The department of Homeland Security on Tuesday issued a notice authorizing the use of a border patrol policy to expedite deportations in the country's interior, allowing Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agents to make deportation decisions without the input of a judge or immigration lawyer. This impacts noncitizens who cannot show "to the satisfaction of an immigration officer" their continuous presence in the country for more than two years.
This could impact a variety of immigrants, including those from Ukraine, advocates have said.
The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit against this effort, declaring it unconstitutional by violating the right to due process under the law as outlined in the Fifth Amendment. The ACLU said U.S. citizens or noncitizens who have been in the country for more than two years could face removal if they are unable to prove to an immigration officer their residence.
Kersh said historically, people who have entered the country through lawful means have not been subject to expedited removal, but an internal DHS memo first reported by the New York Times indicates that this will not be the case this time. She said it's unclear to her where or not people with TPS will face this process, although having TPS means a person is unremovable according to the statute.
"There are still a lot of people in Springfield who do not have TPS yet; there are people who are not eligible for TPS because they entered after June 3, 2024, and there are people who have pending TPS applications, so they have not actually gotten the decision on their case," Kersh said. "So it's those folks that could potentially be impacted by this."
Kersh said another development is Congress passing the Laken Riley Act, which, if Trump signs it into law, will require the detainment of immigrants arrested for or charged with certain crimes, regardless of whether they have been convicted. It could lead to their deportation.
She said this brings up concerns about due process, and can lead to a "chilling effect" of victims not reporting crimes due to the immediate impact to the alleged perpetrator's immigration status, particularly in domestic violence cases where the victim may rely on their abuser in some way.
It is also concerning in cases where the wrong person is arrested or charged, where in other situations they could be exonerated, Kersh said.
ICE officers are authorized to enter a home only if they have a judicial warrant signed by an Article III judge, Kersh said.
Kersh discouraged immigrants from disclosing their country of origin or immigration status unless they know for certain it is an immigration agent.
"When immigration goes to make immigration arrests for the purpose of detaining someone and putting them in deportation or removal proceeding, the burden is on immigration, ICE, to show the immigration judge to make a finding that the person is not a U.S. citizen," Kersh said.
She said the majority of the time, immigrants voluntarily tell police or immigration officials that they are not citizens, making it easier to deport them.
Immigrants should carry with them copies of documents with their status and proof of residence if they've been in the country for more than two years, Kersh said. Those with children should carry notarized power of attorney documents, along with lists of their children's schools and other resources to ensure that if they get separated from their parents, someone can take care of them.
The Haitian community continues to face hatred from some segments of the community. Dorsainvil said another employee at the Haitian Help and Support Center received a fraudulent call from someone claiming to be from ICE on Inauguration Day.
"The guy just told him that, 'I am an ICE officer and I am coming for you ... you Haitians here in Springfield, you have to start packing up because I'm coming for you,' " Dorsainvil said.
These kinds of calls, while not as frequent as before Election Day, are difficult to handle, but Dorsainvil said he personally tries to stay level-headed and be quick on his feet.
He pointed to Trump's pardoning of Jan. 6 insurrectionists as empowering his supporters to "do whatever" and scare people.
"But they might be intentional; they can start from calling, until they take the next action. You never know," Dorsainvil said. "All that we have to do on our part is be careful and be proactive in terms of the way we watch our back and what we believe we should do to protect ourselves."
Regardless of the potential target on Springfield, Dorsainvil said it is still a welcoming community for immigrants with a support system that other areas may not have, pointing to nonprofit and interfaith support, as well as local and state government. He said he has not seen a "mass exodus" from the city, but believes some immigrants have fled to surrounding communities. He said those individuals will face immigration enforcement just like those in Springfield.
"I see Springfield as a welcoming community, and all we have to do is take a little time to learn from each other and in understanding where we are as human beings," Dorsainvil said.
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