Local advocates: Springfield Haitians included in recent deportation flight to Haiti | Local

At least two Haitians from Springfield were among more than 160 people deported to Haiti on Thursday, Aug. 20, according to advocates.

One, a father of two and husband, was detained Aug. 13 in front of his home on the north side, said operations director of the Haitian Community Help and Support Center, Rose-Thamar Joseph. Another man is believed to have voluntarily been deported back to Haiti after he was picked up by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Joseph said.

“The situation here is so frustrating and also it is emotional,” Joseph said. “Seeing mothers crying … like the other day we had a 63-year-old lady at the office crying, and also some of them, they have attempted suicide. Emotionally, it is so heavy.”

The U.S. deported more than 160 people to Haiti Thursday — the first flight since the official end of TPS for Haiti. The plane landed in the northern city of Cap-Haitien, because the main international airport in Port-au-Prince is considered too dangerous. The U.S. government currently has a ban on U.S. commercial flights to Haiti’s capital through early September because of ongoing gang violence.

Activists have warned that Haiti is currently too dangerous and doesn’t have enough resources to help those being deported to a country of nearly 12 million people, of which more than half need humanitarian assistance because of surging gang violence and deepening poverty, hunger and violence.

Gang violence already has displaced a record 1.5 million people across Haiti, where more than 3,100 people were reported killed from January to June and another 1,189 injured, according to U.N. statistics.

The father, who Joseph declined to name to protect his family’s privacy, was detained outside of his home while his family was present, she said. He had Temporary Protected Status and had applied for asylum, but was issued a final order of removal in February after he missed a court date, she said.

Joseph said the man and his wife had legal representation for their asylum cases but when the lawyer dropped the case, the man missed a court date and his case was dismissed. Another lawyer attempted to reopen the case but was unsuccessful and he was ordered to be removed.

The Haitian Support Center learned of the man choosing to self-deport from his friend who called the center Friday morning, Joseph said. The friends spoke when the man was detained, Joseph said, and the man told his friend he didn’t want help and he would tell ICE he wanted to “self-deport.”

His case is rare, according to Joseph, who said she doesn’t know anyone else who wants to return to Haiti right now.

“Some people don’t want to go to jail and they say that instead of going to jail they will maybe ask for deportation … and I understand,” Joseph said.

Joseph said she has seen people posting jail mugshots of immigrants on ICE holds on TikTok, which she said is “so awful and heart wrenching.”

About 25 people from Springfield are in the Butler County Jail on ICE holds, Joseph said. The News-Sun is tracking 27 Haitians in custody on ICE holds, with several having confirmed connections with Springfield. More Springfield Haitians are believed to be in custody but not yet on the Butler County Jail’s online roster.

“A lot of those people that are in detention right now, they have pending asylum, and it seems like it doesn’t matter for this administration,” Joseph said. “You don’t have the right to due process, because they are picking up people randomly in the street … and this is really heavy on us.”

The News-Sun has reached out to ICE and the Butler County Jail about the father’s release.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

SPRINGFIELD NEWS-SUN COVERAGE

ICE targets Haitian community in Springfield

Following the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitian immigrants, ICE has ramped up enforcement efforts targeting the Haitian community in Springfield.

Here are some highlights of our reporting on this issue.