Federal immigration enforcement has increased slowly over the past few weeks without any large-scale raids.
Under President Trump’s leadership, federal immigration enforcement has increased in an effort to reverse the damage caused by former President Biden’s open border policies. This includes a slow increase in enforcement activity in Springfield, Ohio.
In Springfield, the increased immigration enforcement actions are not what residents expected. While they feared large-scale raids, reports indicate that there have been scattered arrests. Some Haitian immigrants have been fitted with GPS ankle monitors.
The immigration crackdown has also seen at least two dozen Haitians booked into the Butler County Jail since August 1 on ICE holds. Other Haitians have been ordered to report to ICE offices for monitoring.
Recent reports also indicate that deportations have begun, including a man from Springfield being sent on the first flight to Haiti since Temporary Protected Status was ended.
The increase in ICE activity in Springfield comes after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled at the end of June that President Trump could end temporary protected status for 330,000 Haitians living in the United States. Legal protected status officially ended on July 27.
In a recent statement on the operations in Ohio, a DHS spokesperson said, “every day, DHS is conducting law enforcement activities across the country to keep Americans safe. DHS does not discuss ongoing or future operations.”
About 15,000 Haitians live in Springfield. They are a combination of temporary protected status, citizenship, and other legal status.
“The City is aware of federal immigration enforcement activity occurring in Springfield, including arrests made by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement,” said Springfield Mayor Rob Rue in a recent statement.
“The City does not direct or control ICE enforcement activity. We are focused on the safety and well-being of everyone in our community.”
The Department of Homeland Security under President Trump has issued repeated reminders to those whose temporary protected status is ending that they have the option to self-deport with the assistance of the department.
“What we would say now is it’s closing time, which means you don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here. The good news is it’s not too late to get a $2,600 check and a free flight home,” said a DHS spokesperson in a statement.
Despite the lack of expected mass immigration raids, enforcement is expected to continue in Ohio as President Trump’s plan to secure the country’s borders continues to take effect.
