Springfielders show support for Haitian neighbors during apparent uptick in local ICE activity | Local
Dozens of residents gathered in front of Springfield City Hall on Friday, Aug. 14 in support of Haitian community members as immigration enforcement has increased in the region.
Dozens of residents gathered in front of Springfield City Hall on Friday, Aug. 14 in support of Haitian community members as immigration enforcement has increased in the region.
Mia Perez, who helped coordinate Friday’s rally, said she wants her fellow Haitians to know they’re not alone.
“This is not an attack on ICE. This is not a confrontation,” Perez said. “This is just solidarity, a stand for Haitian people.”
Aug. 14 holds significance in Haitian history, said Luckey Philostin, a Haitian American and speaker at Friday’s protest. That day in 1791 was when a secret ceremony was held by enslaved people who ultimately planned the first major insurrection of the Haitian Revolution.
“That was the moment that we said no to cruelty. No to chains. But we said yes to liberty, yes to equality,” she said.
Philostin said decades later, Haitians are still fighting to be fully accepted.
A woman claps her hands as speakers give remarks during a rally held by local Haitian leaders in support of the estimated 10K-15K Springfield Haitians on Friday, August 14, 2026, at City Hall Plaza. This comes weeks after temporary protected status ended for Haitians on July 27, after U.S. Supreme Court’s June 25th ruling to allow the Trump administration to terminate their TPS.
“We are human beings. We bleed the same blood,” she said. “We built businesses. We pay taxes and enrich our neighborhoods.”
There were numerous reports from Springfield residents of a caravan of vehicles believed to be conducting immigration enforcement in parts of the city in recent days. The Springfield News-Sun could not independently verify whether these activities were ICE-related, but did find several recent ICE arrests involving Haitians from Springfield in Butler County Jail records. Butler County Jail is the closest ICE detention facility to Springfield.
It’s unclear how many people in Springfield are vulnerable to immigration enforcement. The region is home to an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 Haitians with a diversity of immigration statuses.
Beaubrun Charles Arduin, a U.S. citizen who originally came from Haiti, said five Haitian immigrants with pending asylum applications were taken into ICE custody after his vehicle was pulled over near Topre America early Friday morning. Arduin runs a local transportation business and said he often takes people to and from their workplace.
Pastor Philomene Philostin, founder of Fom Sove Production Outreach Inc., pleads for the community to support the estimated 10k-15k Springfield Haitians during a rally held by local Haitian leaders on Friday, August 14, 2026, at City Hall Plaza. This comes weeks after temporary protected status ended for Haitians on July 27, after U.S. Supreme Court’s June 25th ruling to allow the Trump administration to terminate their TPS.
“I see what I can lose,” Arduin said. He’s lived in Springfield since 2018 and said he’s terrified immigrants may be sent back to uncertain futures in Haiti.
The U.S. Department of State has issued a travel advisory against Haiti “due to the risk of crime, kidnapping, terrorism, unrest, and limited health care.”
“It’s very, very dangerous,” Arduin said. “The Haitian needs dignity, due process. They know we’re coming from a hard place.”