SPRINGFIELD — The Supreme Court has ruled in favor of the Trump administration’s Department of Homeland Security to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS).
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As reported on News Center 7 at 11:00, people in Springfield voiced their opinions on the court’s ruling Thursday evening.
>>RELATED: Supreme Court allows end of Temporary Protected Status for thousands of immigrants
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Haitians who came to Springfield under TPS were here legally, but the decision clears the way for Homeland Security to remove those legal protections.
Springfield G92 organized a rally near the city hall. They said it was going to happen no matter what the decision was.
On Thursday night, they opened with a prayer and then songs of solidarity.
>>RELATED: DeWine calls ending Temporary Protective Status for Ohio’s Haitian immigrants a ‘mistake’
Elle Millender works for Clark County’s Combined Health District. She has Haitian families and children on her caseload.
She said it’s important to show up.
“It has always been the responsibility of the everyday citizen to hold their representatives accountable. If the representatives don’t represent the voice of the people, then the people have to get louder,” Millender said.
She said they will continue to help the Haitian community for as long as they’re in the city.
“I have helped my families ensure that they have passports for their American-born children,” she said.
Some people who came to the rally felt different.
Diana Daniels said the temporary in TPS means temporary.
“(If they) truly want to be a citizen, voluntarily leave, six months later, apply to come back to the United States,” Daniels said.
She applauds the Supreme Court, stating her protest was to uphold lawmakers’ decision.
“I have no problem with folks that are in the process of getting their citizenship, but the money is cut off,” Daniels said.
After the rally was over, News Center 7 talked to Viles Dorsanvil. He’s the president of the Haitian Community Help and Support Center in Springfield.
Dorsanvil said the Haitians are now afraid to go to work, so providing for their families will be difficult.
“Pay rent and to pay utility bills and to put the food on the table, that now we don’t know how the community is going to deal with that,” he said. “We are very much in limbo now.”
The rally ended with a call to action. People were encouraged to call their senators and push for a bill to extend TPS.
News Center 7 will continue to follow this story.
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