Springfield Clergy ask ICE to release Haitian pastor | Local

Faith-based advocacy group Springfield G92 is asking for the immediate release of local Haitian pastor Gilbert Joubert Adrien from Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention.

Adrien was detained Thursday, Aug. 20 at the Sunoco on South Limestone Street, according to advocates. He is a “widely respected faith leader” who has lived in the country for five years with no criminal or immigration detention history.

Adrien has not lived in Haiti for more than 20 years and has worked for Ohio employers and filed federal taxes from 2021 through 2025.

“Pastor Adrien poses no flight risk. He is a public religious leader with deep, longstanding ties to Springfield, a stable residence, a consistent employment record, and a congregation that depends on him,” advocates said in a media release. “He has complied with every legal requirement placed before him during his time in the United States. His life in Ohio demonstrates stability, responsibility, and service — not evasion.”

Adrien has reportedly not eaten since he was detained, “a sign of profound trauma and desperation. His health is deteriorating, and continued detention presents a serious and escalating risk to his well‑being. Detaining a non‑violent, tax‑paying pastor with no criminal history serves no public safety purpose and raises urgent humanitarian concerns,” advocates said.

Adrien is a husband and father to a 15-year-old and 7-year-old. He is his family’s primary source of income, which has left his wife with limited mobility few options, and according to advocates, “the full responsibility of caring for their children alone.”

ICE has ramped up immigration enforcement in Springfield this month, following the official end of Temporary Protected Status, which had previously protected many local Haitians from deportation.

At least 30 local Haitians have been detained at the Butler County Jail, which has an agreement with ICE to hold detainees for the agency.

Another Haitian pastor was detained by ICE this week, too, according to advocates.

Adrien’s detention “raises a fundamental question about the freedom to worship without fear,” according to G92.

“His congregation should be able to gather for worship, receive pastoral care, and practice their faith without fearing that their pastor — or members of their church community — will be taken away,” advocates said. “Media coverage has noted that some Haitian residents are now afraid to attend church at all, worried that immigration enforcement may reach into spaces long understood as sanctuaries. The detention of a pastor at such a moment deepens that fear and threatens one of the most basic freedoms Americans hold sacred: the freedom to worship.”

Hundreds of clergy from across the country are currently traveling to Springfield to support the Haitian community and publicly call for Adrien’s release.

“These leaders represent diverse denominations, traditions, and regions, united in the conviction that houses of worship must remain places of refuge, community, and faith — not places defined by fear of immigration enforcement,” G92 said.

Faith leaders will “stand in solidarity” with Haitian churches to “support their right to worship peacefully and without fear of ICE operations” Sunday, Aug. 30.