Haitian Community in Springfield Mobilizes Amid ICE Arrests

In Springfield, Ohio, immigration enforcement actions have intensified, with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arresting 34 Haitian residents, including two pastors, over the past month. Community organizers said one detainee has already been deported.

Faith leaders from the Greater Grace Temple, part of the G92 coalition that supports the city’s Haitian population, transformed the church into a hub for a five-day regional mobilization. Volunteers used translation tools to write letters in Haitian Creole to those detained, packed food for families, and operated a phone bank to raise funds for the Haitian Support Center and contact state officials, including Governor Mike DeWine and Senators Jon Husted and Bernie Moreno.

"We need to protect this man," said Pastor Carl Ruby, describing a meeting where ICE officials warned that a Haitian asylum seeker could be detained despite pending asylum claims.

Advocates highlighted the use of ankle monitors on Haitians summoned for ICE check-ins, describing the devices as modern equivalents of historic restraints. Rev. Adam Banks called them "technologically advanced ankle and wrist shackles" that echo a legacy of anti-Black containment.

Vilès Dorsainvil of the Haitian Support Center noted that many detainees complied with ICE summons voluntarily, but still faced detention and monitoring. He recounted a recent case of a new mother who, despite being unable to walk, was fitted with a monitor.

The mobilization culminated in a planned public event, “Unshackle Springfield,” a potluck and faith-based demonstration at City Hall Plaza, aimed at drawing attention to the community’s plight and urging political action.