More Springfield Haitians detained as ICE encounters spike | BREAKING NEWS
Editor’s note: This is a developing story and will be updated as additional information is confirmed.
SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — The Haitian community in Springfield faced a rapidly developing immigration enforcement operation Thursday afternoon, with residents contacting local leaders to report several instances where U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents stopped and detained family members, The Haitian Times has learned.
Two Springfield Haitian community leaders, Mia Perez and Vilès Dorsainvil, confirmed to The Haitian Times that ICE officers were in the town Thursday picking up Haitians.
“ICE has picked up more than 30 people at their homes,” Perez, founder of Voices of Immigrants, said Thursday afternoon.
“I’m getting a lot of phone calls, and just answering any call because support is needed,” she added.
Dorsainvil, executive director of the Haitian Support Center, told The Haitian Times that residents were being stopped, including his younger brother, and asked for proof of lawful status. Agents asked the brother to show proof of his green card, which is issued to those who have permanent residency.
“ICE is stressing people out. Everyone’s at church praying. Everyone’s at home praying. Everyone’s scared.” — An employee at Rose Goute Restaurant
ICE agents also picked up at least one person at their home’s parking lot as he was arriving from work, which is authorized under his pending asylum case, Dorsainvil said. One couple from a local church was also detained by ICE.
“They have been here doing this discreetly, but now are more out in the open,” Dorsainvil said of the agents. “It is causing a lot of confusion because some people are getting letters and some people are being stopped.”
To help, the Haitian Support Center is connecting those calling to ABLE, a local nonprofit that provides legal services, Dorsainvil said.
“If they [Haitians] can stay at home as much as possible for now, they should,” he added.
The Haitian Times has not independently verified accounts of federal agents conducting door-to-door immigration checks. ICE and the Department of Homeland Security have not responded to confirm the operation, the number of people detained, and the actions authorities are taking following detention.
The reports come amid heightened immigration enforcement affecting Springfield’s Haitian population following the termination of TPS for Haitians. In recent weeks, Haitians in Ohio have been ordered to report to federal immigration offices, and some have been arrested and subsequently released under electronic monitoring.
Community leaders are also sounding alarm bells about what they describe as an acute mental health crisis among Haitian residents taking hold of some as fear of detention and deportation spreads. The atmosphere has been tense in recent weeks, with businesses seeing a drastic decrease in foot traffic, families staying behind being barricaded inside their homes, and churches becoming places of refuge and prayer.
Perez said some residents have also reported self-harm incidents, including suicide attempts, as a result. “Three people have committed suicide, and others are in the hospital that have tried and not succeeded,” Perez said.
At Rose Goute Restaurant, a popular eatery and gathering spot, the reported emptiness Thursday afternoon spoke volumes. In a phone call with The Haitian Times, a person who answered the phone there said the restaurant was open, but no customers had come in.
“ICE is stressing people out,” the person said.
“Everyone’s at church praying. Everyone’s at home praying. Everyone’s scared.”