Haitian immigrants facing threats, hateful messages

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — Immigration debates continue to fuel tensions in Ohio after temporary protected status ended for many Haitians in Springfield.

While there has been support for Haitians living in Springfield, there’s also been a backlash against their presence.

“They call us (expletive) Haitian, say you have to leave this country,” said restaurant owner Ketlie Moise. 

That’s what Moise says she’s been hearing on the phone, and online she’s seeing more false claims about her restaurant and bar. 

“I feel bad, but I’m still here,” said Moise. 

She said she’s not letting intimidation force her to shut her doors

“I don’t like to give up….you have to fight,” said Moise. 

Spectrum News followed how she’s been fighting for years.

In 2024, after then-candidate Trump’s comments about Haitian immigrants, supporters rallied behind her restaurant, Keket Bon Gout, giving business a major boost.

Then, in February this year, rumors of an ICE raid caused her to close for a week out of fear. The raid never happened. She reopened and even expanded with a second location, this Lantern bar.

But she said business isn’t the same.

“It’s slow, all the business slow…nobody, they don’t come,” said Moise.

She believes the end of Temporary Protected Status for many Haitians left customers afraid, even though she said she is in the U.S. legally under asylum.

That’s why she said giving up isn’t an option, neither is going back to Haiti.

“This is my dream,” said Moise. 

The Department of Homeland Security has said TPS was always meant to be temporary, and conditions in Haiti have improved enough to support the return of Haitian nationals.