ICE Begins Detaining Nationals of One Foreign Country in US City As Trump Ends TPS

• Federal agents have been operating in Springfield, Ohio, almost daily, detaining Haitians and fitting over 100 others with ankle monitors
• The crackdown follows the Supreme Court's ruling allowing the Trump administration to terminate Temporary Protected Status for 330,000 Haitians nationwide
• Community leaders say residents are isolating themselves at home, afraid to go to work, as unmarked ICE vehicles patrol the city's streets

At least 15 Haitian immigrants have been detained by federal agents in Springfield, Ohio, a report by the New York Times, has reported.

According to Haitian community leaders, more than 100 others were ordered to report to Immigration and Customs Enforcement offices, where they were fitted with electronic ankle monitors.

ICE agents have been present in the city nearly every day since early last week, operating in small groups rather than large-scale sweeps.

Community representatives say the arrests have been largely indiscriminate, with agents stopping residents as they leave their homes or travel to and from work, rather than targeting specific individuals.

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Fear grips Springfield's Haitian community

Viles Dorsainvil, executive director of the Springfield Haitian Support Centre, described scenes of acute distress among the city's Haitian population.

"People in our community are terrified," he said. "It's extremely chaotic. We have people isolating themselves, refusing to eat."

The centre's waiting room, ordinarily busy, was empty on Tuesday after volunteers patrolling the streets identified unmarked SUVs and a van in a local car park as ICE vehicles.

Despite staying away in person, residents have been calling the centre continuously to ask whether it is safe to go to work, how to reach Canada, and what would happen to their children if they were arrested.

The Department of Homeland Security declined to provide details on enforcement activity in Springfield, stating only that it conducts law enforcement operations daily across the country and does not comment on ongoing or future operations.

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Vulder Marco Dorsainvil, a permanent legal resident and brother of the support centre's director, said agents followed him from his apartment complex to a supermarket car park, where they hemmed in his vehicle using three unmarked cars. He was released after showing his green card.

"They were looking for anybody to take," he said. "They didn't know my name."

TPS termination drives enforcement push

The detentions follow the Supreme Court's late June ruling permitting the Trump administration to end Temporary Protected Status, a programme that had shielded 330,000 Haitians from deportation and granted them the legal right to work.

Lower courts had previously blocked the move, finding the administration had been motivated by racial bias and had not properly assessed conditions in Haiti, where gang violence, political instability and food insecurity remain severe.

Internal ICE guidance reviewed by the New York Times directed officers to prioritise former TPS holders, including Haitians, for expedited removal, a fast-track deportation process that bypasses standard court proceedings.

Springfield is home to between 10,000 and 15,000 Haitian immigrants who settled in the city in recent years, drawn by available jobs and a relatively low cost of living. Pastor Carl Ruby of Central Christian Church, who leads a coalition of congregations supporting the Haitian community, said the daily raids were disrupting ordinary life. "Their real goal is to incite fear, hoping that people will go back to Haiti," he said.

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Catholic charity St Vincent de Paul has been assembling food boxes for Haitian families, many of whom had never previously required assistance, while also helping parents apply for passports for their American-born children and arrange legal guardianship in case of arrest.

US expands visa crackdown to 15 airports

Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that foreign nationals with expired visas are being detained at airports.

ICE agents have commenced these operations at check-in counters, boarding gates and arrival terminals across at least 15 airports in recent weeks.

Source: YEN.com.gh