Latest news with #HaitianCommunityHelpandSupportCenter
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Are Haitians fleeing Springfield? What our reporting found
Apr. 18—There are indications that a large number of Springfield's Haitian immigrant population has relocated elsewhere. But after months of harsh scrutiny and facing the threat of deportation from a presidential administration intent on revoking their legal right to stay in the country, the majority appear to be staying put, a Springfield News-Sun investigation found. For now, they have jobs. Their kids are in school. They have access to health care and other services. They have put down roots. "They don't have any reason to leave now because they don't have any other place to go in the USA where they will not be facing the same issue," said Vilès Dorsainvil, president of the Haitian Community Help and Support Center. Springfield and Clark County leaders have long estimated that the region is home to 12,000 to 15,000 Haitian immigrants. The News-Sun used available data points to find: —The number of Haitian-speaking Clark County residents on public assistance has dropped by thousands of people since last summer. Medicaid enrollment for Haitian-speaking applicants is down by more than a third, food stamps by 63% and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families usage by more than half from July 2024 through March 2025. —Clark County Combined Health District leaders have seen a reduction in demand for service, but estimate the number of local Haitians still above 10,000. —Springfield City Schools officials say overall district enrollment has remained around 7,400 this school year. Data provided by the district shows it has 1,258 students classified as English language learners this month, down about 6.6% from a high of 1,347 in February — but up from 1,193 in October 2024. —Springfield's federally-qualified health center, Rocking Horse, saw a small dip in its Haitian-Creole speaking patients in the last two weeks of January. But since then, attendance has stabilized, agency leaders say. —Employers interviewed by the News-Sun say Haitian workers are not leaving their jobs. The future for this vulnerable population is uncertain. Many have work permits and remain in the country legally under programs President Donald Trump tried to end as early as April 24. Some of those efforts are slowed by court action, but Springfield's Haitian immigrants remain possibly months from being ripped of their legal status. It's unclear what will happen then. An ICE spokesperson did not return a request for comment about deportation procedures. The Trump administration wants them to return to Haiti. But Haiti has had severe poverty and political instability for years, intensified by a series of natural disasters. In 2021, Haiti's president was assassinated. In 2023, the U.S. ordered all non-essential personnel to leave the country. In March 2024, a state of emergency was declared as violent gangs had taken over much of the country. Last fall, the largest airport was closed because gang members were firing at planes. The U.S. State Department has had a "Do Not Travel" advisory on Haiti for more than six months, citing "kidnapping, crime, civil unrest, and limited health care." The most recent update last week said gunfire was reported near the U.S. Embassy. So for now, thousands stay in Springfield. Public assistance programs Clark County Job and Family Services has reported a steady decrease in Haitian Creole-speaking residents seeking public assistance since an all-time high in July 2024, with nearly every category of assistance available to immigrants declining since last summer. "It could mean they're either leaving or no longer needing public assistance," said Clark County JFS director Ginny Martycz. "But we have noticed a difference." County JFS departments administer Medicaid programs and other forms of public assistance, like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families. When someone applying for public assistance moves counties within Ohio, they appear in the caseloads of their new county JFS department. Clark County caseloads for Haitian-speaking applicants Month Medicaid Presumptive Eligibility — Medicaid Refugee Cash Assistance SNAP SNAP Employment and Training TANF TANF Work Activities Jul-24 7,961 84 1,896 4,363 427 1,475 146 Aug-24 7,190 20 1,803 3,536 381 1,353 135 Sep-24 6,992 14 1,737 3,280 388 1,250 152 Oct-24 6,624 17 1,582 2,794 349 1,140 156 Nov-24 6,003 19 1,478 2,438 279 1,110 191 Dec-24 6,340 21 1,326 2,265 85 1,081 145 Jan-25 5,965 15 1,095 1,941 46 1,031 149 Feb-25 5,459 12 848 1,673 32 897 162 Mar-25 5,260 20 720 1,597 25 711 179 Source: Clark County Department of Job and Family Services ------ Last summer, Clark County JFS had 4,363 Haitian Creole-speaking applicants in their caseload for the SNAP Program. At the end of March this year, the caseload for Haitian Creole-speaking applicants had shrunk by 63%. The county's Medicaid caseload saw a similar drop, with 5,260 cases linked to Creole-speaking applicants at the end of March, compared to 7,961 Medicaid applicants in July 2024. This is a 33% drop in the county's caseload. Some immigrants are also eligible for the Refugee Cash Assistance program. In Clark County, Haitian residents make up the vast majority of assistance distributed through this program. This program is for immigrants without children, and assistance is limited to 12 months after arrival in the U.S. In July 2024, a total of 1,896 applicants were in Clark County's caseload for this program, but at the end of March, only 720 cases were linked to Clark County. Health district For the Clark County Combined Health District, home visitors in Early Childhood programs like Help Me Grow have reported that numerous families are leaving or preparing for their departure, according to Clark County Health Commissioner Chris Cook. "We are seeing a decrease in demand for our services at the health department, ranging from immunizations to refugee health screenings," Cook said. "This doesn't necessarily mean that people have left, but rather that they are laying low or are getting their care elsewhere." Cook previously estimated that 12,000 Haitians reside in Clark County; he believes that number has since decreased, but it likely hasn't dipped below 10,000 residents. Rocking Horse According to Rocking Horse data, in 2024 the community health center served 15,600 patients. Roughly 3,600 of these were patients best served in a language other than English. In the last quarter of 2024, the health center saw 208 new patients who speak Haitian-Creole. In the first quarter of 2025, the health center only saw 150 new patients. But new patient numbers were down in total in the first quarter this year. "Rocking Horse still considers itself as the safety net provider and encourages people to continue engaging in their healthcare," Rocking Horse CEO Dr. Yamimi Teegala said. "Our concern was never about losing patients. Our concern was more, 'I don't want anyone to go under the radar and just skip this visit.' But people are engaging with essential services." Rocking Horse Chief Operating Officer Stacy Lee said that among adult patients, the health center sees about 10 new patients per week on average. "We still continue to see a fairly large number. But we continue to monitor this," she said. Lee has been coordinating training for Rocking Horse staff over the past few months. The training walked employees through patient privacy and procedures around immigration enforcement. She said several patients have called in concerns about receiving care under their current immigration statuses. "We're trying to continue to be the place for everyone and give quality care to everyone," Lee said. English language classes Clark State College is one of 47 providers for Ohio's Aspire program, which among other things provides English language courses for Haitian residents. Timothy Armstrong, state director of the program that runs through the Ohio Department of Education, said Haitian learners from Clark County reported "apprehension" with on-site English classes last fall and again in January. Aspire providers pivoted to other formats, such as synchronous learning where learners could tune into online classes from home. But many of those students have since returned to the classroom. Non-native speakers, many of whom are Haitian residents, make up more than 90% of students in Clark State College's Aspire program. Similarly, at Springfield City Schools, 65% of the students in Aspire courses are non-native speakers, according to Armstrong.
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Haitian employees still coming to work
Apr. 18—Despite efforts by the Trump administration to revoke the legal status — and therefore, work permits — of many Springfield-area Haitian immigrants, local employers say they continue to reliably come to work. By and large, Haitian workers in the Springfield-area manufacturing industry do not appear to be leaving their jobs in Clark County and surrounding areas, said Bud Downing, co-owner of employment agency Express Employment Professionals. Downing is also involved in immigrant business and employment efforts as part of the Haitian Coalition. Vilès Dorsainvil, president of the Haitian Community Help and Support Center, said employers have come to him with concerns related to employing a workforce at risk of deportation. "For the (Haitian immigrants), they would normally be willing to continue to work, but the employers sometimes don't see any future to continue to invest on some folks, or working with having some employees that are at a risk of deportation," Dorsainvil said. Haitian immigrants make up an estimated 10% of the workforce at McGregor Metal's three plants, human resources manager of the Leffel Lane location Summer Garrett said Tuesday. She described them as a "dedicated workforce," with many having been employed for several years. The plants are not experiencing a large loss of workers, Garrett said. She estimated the Leffel Lane Campus has about 145 employees, Yellow Springs Street has about 72 and there are about 65 at the Innisfallen Avenue location. With the work environment being more family-oriented, Garrett said she speaks with individual employees often and hears concerns from Haitian employees related to immigration changes and uncertainty. When Haitian immigrants apply, they must provide their Social Security number and work authorization document, which includes information about the person's status, said HR generalist at the Yellow Springs Street location Emily Bolton. This gives businesses an idea of how many their employees may be impacted by immigration changes. KTH Parts Industries in St. Paris is planning for Trump administration immigration orders and the impacts on its workforce, Belford said. The company is not currently seeing workers leave. "It's all a what if, because if it doesn't come into fruition, you have to have that idea or plan to make up for it," Belford said. The auto parts manufacturer employs several Haitian immigrants, many as part of their temporary program but others are permanent, Jennifer Belford, senior recruiter, said. Dole Fresh Vegetables employs several Haitian immigrants locally, but declined to share specific information. A representative said the company does "not expect negative impacts on our ability to deliver product from Springfield."
Yahoo
28-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
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.
Los Angeles Times
27-01-2025
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio, turn to faith amid deportation fears
SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — At the end of his Sunday service, the pastor of the First Haitian Evangelical Church of Springfield, Ohio, asked ushers and musicians to form a circle around him as he knelt in prayer, flanked by the flags of Haiti and the United States. Many had come to receive his blessing and hear his guidance on how to deal with federal agents in case of raids stemming from President Trump's crackdown on immigration. Other congregants stayed home out of fear and growing uncertainty. 'I asked God to protect my people,' the Rev. Reginald Silencieux said after the service, reflecting on his final prayer. 'I prayed especially for the Haitian community, and I prayed for USA too, because Trump is our president. As a church, we have an obligation to pray for him because he's our political leader right now.' Some of Springfield's estimated 15,000 Haitians are seeking solace and divine intervention in their churches or at shops that sell spiritual products. Community leaders say many are overwhelmed by fears Trump will end or let expire the Temporary Protected Status program that allows them to remain in the U.S. legally. 'The community is panicking.' said Viles Dorsainvil, the leader of Springfield's Haitian Community Help and Support Center. 'They see the arrests on TV in other parts of the country and they don't know what's going to happen.' 'The majority of immigrants in the USA are not criminals, and they're hard-working people,' he added. 'Any administration with common sense would rather work with those kinds of immigrants than deport them.' Last year, Trump falsely accused Haitians in Springfield of eating their neighbor's cats and dogs. The false rumors exacerbated fears about division and anti-immigrant sentiment in the mostly white, blue-collar city of about 59,000. In the weeks after Trump's comments, schools, government buildings and the homes of elected officials in Springfield were targeted with dozens of bomb threats. 'Before, we had a different type of fear — it was a fear of retaliation, whether it was the far right, the Proud Boys,' said Jacob Payen, a Haitian community leader and owner of Milokan Botanica, a religious shop that sells Haitian spiritual and natural healing products. 'Now, there's a fear of deportation. That keeps a lot of people from going out and has caused a lot of people to have left,' he said, pointing to the usually busy commercial plaza where his business is located and that was now more quiet than usual. Between selling religious candles and spiritual ointments, Payne guided customers with immigration forms, employment authorization cards and questions on their TPS applications. Brutus Joseph, 50, who works installing solar panels, said he came to the botanica to find spiritual relief. But he also wanted to speak his mind. 'I don't feel right at all. I have a lot in my chest,' Joseph said in Creole through an interpreter. 'My wife and I can't even sleep because we're so worried. We're law-abiding citizens — all we did is to be Haitian. We didn't think we'd be treated like this by the [Trump] administration. I'm praying to God that the president changes his mind.' Joseph especially worries about the future for his five children, including one who is a senior in high school in Springfield and plans to attend college this year. 'If I leave here, there's no future for my children. My children can get raped and killed if I go back [to Haiti], so I have everything to lose,' he said, making an appeal to Trump as a fellow family man who is married to an immigrant. The Rev. Philomene Philostin, one of the pastors at the First Haitian Evangelical Church, bemoaned the lower-than-usual attendance at Sunday's service. 'They don't have to be scared. They have to be alert,' she said. 'They shouldn't be scared to the point where they don't come to church.' The migration concerns of clergy and other community members in Springfield are shared by many faith leaders nationwide. In several cities, including New York, Philadelphia and Portland, Oregon, interfaith groups are discussing how to provide security and support to migrants in their communities, including those who are undocumented. During his first administration, Trump used bluntly vulgar language to question why the U.S. would accept immigrants from Haiti and 's—hole countries' in Africa. His 2024 campaign focused heavily on illegal immigration, often referring in his speeches to crimes committed by migrants. Thousands of Haitian migrants have legally landed in Springfield in recent years under the TPS program, as longstanding unrest in their home country has given way to violent gangs ruling the streets. 'Everything changed because Trump is president. People are scared right now. Most are staying in their homes — they don't want to go outside,' said Romane Pierre, 41, who settled in Springfield in 2020 under the TPS program after fleeing violence in his native Haiti. 'I love my country, but you can't live there; it's terrible right now,' said Pierre, who works at the Rose Gaute, a popular Haitian restaurant in Springfield. 'So where do you go back to?' With the rest of his family still in the Haitian capital of Port-Au-Prince, his 8-year-old daughter got ill last year in the middle of the night. Gunshots rang out in their neighborhood, and her mother felt it was too dangerous to take her to the hospital. She died in the morning in front of the hospital entrance. Pierre couldn't get a travel permit on time to return for her funeral. 'Sometimes, life is difficult,' he said pensively on a break from work. The TPS, which allows him and thousands of others to remain legally in Springfield, expires on February 2026. He still hopes Trump will keep in mind the violence in Haiti and renew it. 'Think about Haitians because Haiti is not a place to return to right now,' he said. 'God, talk to Mr. Trump and do something for Haitians.' The migrants' fears were echoed by the president of Haiti's transitional presidential council, who said the Trump administration's decisions to freeze aid programs, deport migrants and block refugees will be 'catastrophic' for Haiti. Leslie Voltaire made the comment in an interview with the Associated Press in Rome on Saturday following a meeting with Pope Francis at the Vatican. The pontiff and Voltaire discussed the dire situation in Haiti, where gangs have killed civilians and operate across the Caribbean nation with impunity. Half of Haiti's 11.4 million people are already experiencing hunger, according to Voltaire, and losing humanitarian assistance will make the situation dramatically worse. Henao and Wardarski write for the Associated Press.
The Independent
26-01-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio, turn to faith amid deportation fears
At the end of his Sunday service, the pastor of the First Haitian Evangelical Church of Springfield, Ohio, asked ushers and musicians to form a circle around him as he knelt in prayer, flanked by the flags of Haiti and the United States. Many had come to receive his blessing and hear his guidance on how to deal with federal agents in case of raids stemming from President Donald Trump 's crackdown on immigration. Other congregants stayed home out of fear and growing uncertainty. 'I asked God to protect my people,' the Rev. Reginald Silencieux said after the service, reflecting on his final prayer. 'I prayed especially for the Haitian community, and I prayed for U.S.A. too, because Trump is our president. As a church, we have an obligation to pray for him because he's our political leader right now.' Some of Springfield's estimated 15,000 Haitians are seeking solace and divine intervention in their churches or at shops that sell spiritual products. Community leaders say many are overwhelmed by fears Trump will end or let expire the Temporary Protected Status program that allows them to remain in the U.S. legally. 'The community is panicking.' said Viles Dorsainvil, the leader of Springfield's Haitian Community Help and Support Center. 'They see the arrests on TV in other parts of the country and they don't know what's going to happen.' Last year, Trump falsely accused Haitians in Springfield of eating their neighbor's cats and dogs. The false rumors exacerbated fears about division and anti-immigrant sentiment in the mostly white, blue-collar city of about 59,000. In the weeks after his comments, schools, government buildings and the homes of elected officials were targeted with dozens of bomb threats. 'Before, we had a different type of fear — it was a fear of retaliation, whether it was the far right, the Proud Boys,' said Jacob Payne, a Haitian community leader and owner of Milokan Botanica, a religious shop that sells Haitian spiritual and natural healing products. 'Now, there's a fear of deportation. That keeps a lot of people from going out and has caused a lot of people to have left,' he said, pointing to the usually busy commercial plaza where his business is located and that was now more quiet than usual. The migration concerns of clergy and other community members in Springfield are shared by many faith leaders nationwide. In several cities, including New York, Philadelphia and Portland, Oregon, interfaith groups are discussing how to provide security and support to migrants in their communities, including those who are undocumented. During his first administration, Trump used bluntly vulgar language to question why the U.S. would accept immigrants from Haiti and 'shithole countries' in Africa. His 2024 campaign focused heavily on illegal immigration, often referring in his speeches to crimes committed by migrants. Thousands of temporary Haitian migrants have legally landed in Springfield in recent years under the TPS program, as longstanding unrest in their home country has given way to violent gangs ruling the streets. 'Everything changed because Trump is president. People are scared right now. Most are staying in their homes — they don't want to go outside,' said Romane Pierre, 41, who settled in Springfield in 2020 under the TPS program after fleeing violence in his native Haiti. 'I love my country, but you can't live there; it's terrible right now,' said Pierre, who works at the Rose Gaute, a popular Haitian restaurant in Springfield. 'So where do you go back to?' Last year, his 8-year-old daughter got ill in the middle of the night. Gunshots rang in their neighborhood in the capital of Port-Au-Prince, and her mother felt it was too dangerous to take her to the hospital. She died in the morning in front of the hospital entrance. Pierre couldn't get a permit on time to return for her funeral. 'Sometimes, life is difficult,' he said pensively on a break from work. The TPS, which allows him and thousands of others to remain legally in Springfield, expires on February 2026. He still hopes Trump will keep in mind the violence in Haiti and renew it. 'Think about Haitians because Haiti is not a place to return to right now,' he said. 'God, talk to Mr. Trump and do something for Haitians.' The migrants' fears were echoed by the president of Haiti's transitional presidential council, who said the Trump administration's decisions to freeze aid programs, deport migrants and block refugees will be 'catastrophic' for Haiti. Leslie Voltaire made the comment in an interview with The Associated Press in Rome on Saturday following a meeting with Pope Francis at the Vatican. The pontiff and Voltaire discussed the dire situation in Haiti where gangs have killed civilians and operate across the Caribbean nation with impunity. Half of Haiti's 11.4 million people are already hungry, according to Voltaire, and losing humanitarian assistance will make the situation dramatically worse. ___ Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
