Ohio ICE shifts from detention to ankle monitors for Haitians who lost TPS
After a Supreme Court ruling ended Temporary Protected Status for over 300,000 Haitians, many in Ohio are now required to wear ankle monitors while awaiting immigration hearings, according to attorneys and DHS officials.
Haitian residents of Ohio whose Temporary Protected Status was terminated are increasingly being required to attend in-person check-ins and wear ankle monitors, rather than being placed in ICE detention, lawyers said. The monitors track individuals within a 75-mile radius of their homes while immigration judges consider their cases, including possible asylum claims.
A senior Department of Homeland Security official indicated the shift reflects a lack of detention space for the more than 300,000 Haitians affected by the Supreme Court decision in June. "We were really worried that this was going to be a mass enforcement, mass detention operation," said Katie Kersh, an immigration attorney at Advocates for Basic Legal Equality. She noted that clients received ICE letters ordering the check-ins, were arrested, and then released with monitors attached.
The Department of Homeland Security declined to comment on the monitoring program, stating it does not discuss ongoing or future operations. A spokesperson added, "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 policy change follows broader adjustments under DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin, who assumed the role in March. Earlier, Mullin halted ICE vehicle pursuits after two fatal shootings, a move later reversed by President Donald Trump. While tension has been reported between the White House and the DHS secretary, there is no indication of imminent removal.
Temporary Protected Status, a humanitarian program allowing nationals from disaster- or conflict-affected countries to live and work in the United States temporarily, was ended for Haitians and Syrians after the Supreme Court upheld the administration’s decision. The ruling has created uncertainty for employers and employees alike.
ICE currently holds about 65,000 immigrants nationwide, far fewer than the number of Haitians now subject to the monitoring program. The agency is reportedly seeking to expand detention capacity.