ICE Requires Haitian TPS Holders in Ohio to Wear Ankle Monitors After Program Termination
Following the termination of Temporary Protected Status for Haitian nationals, ICE has ordered several individuals in Ohio to wear ankle monitors while they await deportation hearings.
ICE officials in Ohio have summoned Haitian immigrants who previously held Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to immigration offices, where many were fitted with ankle monitoring devices and restricted from traveling more than 75 miles from their homes. The move comes after a Supreme Court ruling in June allowed the administration to revoke TPS for roughly 350,000 Haitians nationwide, affecting an estimated 15,000 residents in the Springfield area.
Advocacy groups reported that those called in were given a choice between wearing the monitors or facing immediate removal. One resident, Philbert Viaud, who has been seeking asylum for four years, was seen with a monitor after an ICE appointment in suburban Cincinnati and told to return for a follow-up in two weeks. Another individual, Sony Prenice, said she was offered a $2,600 payment and a free flight home if she chose deportation.
"It is so humiliating to see parents, fathers and mothers, who have not been committing any crime now with some type of ankle bracelets on their feet," said Viles Dorsainvil, executive director of the Haitian Community Help and Support Center in Springfield.
Letters sent to TPS holders instruct recipients to bring all immigration documents to an ICE office within 30 days and to sign and return the notice if they cannot attend. A Homeland Security spokesperson declined to comment on specific operations, stating that TPS is “temporary” and noting that individuals may receive a payment and travel assistance if they choose to leave.
The TPS program, created by Congress in 1990 for nationals fleeing war, natural disasters, or other extraordinary conditions, has been extended multiple times for Haiti since the 2010 earthquake. Federal courts previously blocked an attempt to end the program, citing procedural flaws and allegations of discriminatory intent. The recent termination has raised concerns among lawmakers and community leaders about the impact on families, employers, and the broader immigrant population.