Report Reveals ICE Is On the Ground in Springfield, Ohio to Nab “All Haitian Nationals” with Suspended TPS
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents are reportedly on the ground in Springfield, Ohio, as hundreds of thousands of Haitian nationals face deportation following the termination of their Temporary Protected Status. Author and Springfield researcher Joshua Lisec reported the development on X, saying federal agents are targeting Haitian nationals whose TPS protections have ended. The reported operation comes after months of legal battles over the Trump administration’s effort to terminate the temporary status and begin enforcing immigration law against former TPS holders.
Springfield has been at the center of the country’s Haitian immigration debate since the 2024 presidential election, when the city’s rapidly growing Haitian population became a national political issue. Estimates have placed Springfield’s Haitian immigrant population between roughly 10,000 and 15,000 in a city of fewer than 60,000 residents. Lisec, who spent weeks in Springfield researching the migration issue for his forthcoming book “Haitians of Springfield”, posted the latest report as the legal protections that allowed many Haitian nationals to remain and work in the United States have come to an end.
Lisec wrote on X that ICE agents were operating in Springfield and characterized the enforcement target as “all Haitian nationals” whose protected status had been suspended. The report follows earlier indications that Springfield would be one of the locations targeted by federal immigration authorities once the administration was legally permitted to terminate Haiti’s TPS designation. ICE had been preparing for that possibility well before the final legal obstacles to the termination were removed.
CBS News reported in late July that ICE had developed plans to ramp up arrests and deportations of Haitian migrants following the loss of their protected status. The outlet cited two agency sources along with federal documents it obtained, reporting that the plans specifically included operations in Ohio. Springfield, which has one of the country’s most prominent concentrations of Haitian migrants, was specifically identified in the report.
ICE is also preparing to move arrested Haitian nationals through the deportation process rapidly, including placing deportees on flights back to Haiti. The plans follow the Supreme Court’s June decision allowing the Trump administration to move forward with terminating TPS for more than 300,000 Haitian nationals. That decision removed one of the major legal barriers that had previously prevented the administration from carrying out the enforcement operation it had been preparing.
Temporary Protected Status allows foreign nationals from designated countries to remain and work legally in the United States when the federal government determines that conditions such as war, natural disasters, or other extraordinary circumstances make returning home unsafe. Haiti originally received TPS following the catastrophic 2010 earthquake, and the designation was repeatedly extended and expanded in the years that followed. The Trump administration moved to terminate the designation, arguing that a supposedly temporary immigration program had effectively become a long-term means for hundreds of thousands of foreign nationals to remain in the country.
The legal situation shifted decisively in June when the Supreme Court allowed the administration to end the protections. A federal judge subsequently acknowledged in early August that the previous order blocking termination of Haiti’s TPS was no longer in effect following the Supreme Court’s ruling. That cleared another hurdle for the administration and left hundreds of thousands of Haitians who had relied exclusively on the program without the protection from removal by ICE.
ICE activity in Springfield itself is not entirely new. Earlier this year, the Department of Homeland Security acknowledged in federal court filings that ICE was already conducting daily enforcement activity in Springfield even while litigation prevented the government from enforcing the TPS termination itself. The agency said at the time that it would enforce federal immigration law if the TPS termination were ultimately permitted to take effect.
The end of TPS does not automatically make every Haitian national deportable, as some may have asylum applications, permanent residency, citizenship, or another lawful immigration status independent of TPS. Those who depended exclusively on TPS to remain in the United States, however, have now lost that protection and are looking at being deported any day now.
Watch a report on the town and its Haitian migrants here:
BREAKING: Dolly Parton’s Cause Of Death Revealed: ‘Brief Battle’
Dolly Parton’s death came after a brief battle with cancer, her representatives revealed Tuesday.
The country music legend died Aug. 25 at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville. She was 80.
Parton had been admitted to the cancer center Friday, four days before her death. Her representatives confirmed the cancer diagnosis in a statement to PEOPLE but did not disclose what type she had.
“Our beloved Dolly Parton spent her life and career bringing joy, laughter, hope and integrity into everything she touched. Her unmatched generosity reached the lives of countless people whom she would never meet, yet she was always there to offer a helping hand,” the statement read.
“Whether it be the hundreds of millions of books donated through her invaluable Imagination Library or funding research that helped create a lifesaving vaccine used around the world, Dolly’s unconditional love for all people was the guiding force for her lasting impact. After bravely facing a brief battle with cancer, Dolly departed her Earthly life today at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center surrounded by loved ones,” the statement concluded.
The “Jolene” singer had also been dealing with kidney and autoimmune issues before her death, PEOPLE previously reported.
Just days earlier, Dolly Parton opened up about her declining health and acknowledged that she had put off addressing some medical issues while caring for her husband, Carl.
“As I’ve shared in video messages throughout the past year, I am dealing with some health issues that I just didn’t pay attention to when I was watching over [my husband] Carl. You know, this isn’t the first time I’ve had to manage something like this. Back in the early ’80s, I was down for several months with female issues, and I was struggling with my weight at the time too, so it’s not like I haven’t been through hard times with my health,” Parton told PEOPLE.
Her nephew, Bryan Seaver, announced her death in an Instagram video Tuesday on behalf of the Parton and Owens family.
“My name is Bryan Seaver, son of Cassie Parton, and I’m representing the Parton and Owens family today announcing the passing of my aunt, Dolly Rebecca Parton Dean, Sister, Sis and Granny to one generation and Gigi to the next,” he says in the video.
Seaver, who served as Parton’s head of security for more than two decades, said she had asked him years earlier to deliver the announcement.
“This video announcement is something Dolly asked of me years ago, before I fully absorbed it as a future reality,” he continued. “As her head of security for more than two decades, a role my father Larry held before me, I have imagined the heaviness of this moment but haven’t truly felt it until now.”
Seaver said the moment brought immense pride and heartbreak, but he took comfort in his faith that Parton had been reunited with Carl and other loved ones.
Seaver added: “It is an honor, an honor that is mixed with absolute pride and great sadness. But sadness lies with us, not with Dolly. Dolly has lived in the light and is in the arms of Jesus, surely met by Carl, her parents and countless othe
Shocking 'truth' behind Prince Harry's decision to quit major role
Prince Harry should have "resigned in disgrace" from the board of a controversial African wildlife charity, a commentator says. James Walker makes the bombshell remark in Wednesday's episode of this publication's podcast, Daily Expresso.
He and the show's host, JJ Anisiobi, delve into the Duke of Sussex's dramatic decision to step down from African Parks. James, commenting on the controversy, said: "When you hear about this stuff and how long it's been going on for, you should be resigning in disgrace. [Harry] should be saying: 'I'm not touching that with a barge pole. That is a failed entity. We're going nowhere near it'.
"But no. He's still saying he's going to 'support their mission'. And again this Caroline Pearce, executive director of Survival International, goes on to say: 'His departure doesn't undo that record'.
"She alleged that African Parks was aware of the abuses for years, but it was only after Survival complained to Harry that the charity finally commissioned an investigation."
James added: "Well, she's got a point."
It emerged on Monday (August 24) that Harry was no longer a board member of the wildlife charity.
The conservation organisation has admitted that human rights abuses were committed by its rangers against members of the semi-nomadic Baka group in Congo-Brazzaville.
African Parks has said since that it has improved its safeguarding processes both in the Odzala-Kokoua National Park and institutionally.
Its admission followed an independent human rights investigation into allegations guards managed and paid by the charity had beaten, raped and tortured indigenous people in Odzala-Kokoua National Park.
Harry was president of the charity for six years before he became a member of its board of directors in 2023.
A spokesman for the Duke said he remains an active and avid supporter of African Parks. He added: "The Duke is proud of his 10 years with African Parks and fully supports the ongoing strengthening of its board.
"His commitment to conservation in Africa continues and he remains a supporter of African Parks’ mission."
Human rights organisation, Survival International, said it had been calling on Harry to step down from African Parks for years.
The group's director, Caroline Pearce, said in a statement: "It’s outrageous that for 10 years Prince Harry has served African Parks while the organisation has been responsible for abuse and violence against Indigenous people.
"His departure doesn't undo that record — African Parks itself must now be held accountable, and must abandon this model of fortress conservation for good."
Survival International said indigenous peoples know how best to manage their land and the idea outsiders know better is racist and colonial.
