LEILA FADEL, HOST:
Hundreds of thousands of Haitians and Syrians who are in the United States legally could face deportation any day now.
A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
The Supreme Court sided with the Trump administration earlier this year, allowing it to revoke the temporary protected status, or TPS, for those groups. In a few minutes, we'll hear from an attorney who's representing Haitians with TPS in that Supreme Court case. If they want to stay, they need to find another legal avenue to stay in the country.
FADEL: Joining us is WOSU reporter George Shillcock based in Columbus, Ohio. Good morning, George.
GEORGE SHILLCOCK, BYLINE: Good morning, Leila.
FADEL: So how many Haitians in Ohio are facing deportation, and how are they preparing?
SHILLCOCK: Columbus is one of the larger cities in the United States with a sizable number of Haitian immigrants, nearly 30,000 in all, with over half on TPS. In nearby Springfield, Ohio, there are about 12,000 on TPS. That's the community of Haitian immigrants that President Trump and his allies smeared with false accusations that they were eating cats and dogs. Many here feel out of sorts as they've had to wait and see if this legal limbo would allow them to stay.
Yola Lamarre, with the Haitian Community Network, has been trying to help the refugees. She said recently many are getting their affairs in order while others are trying to apply for another legal status to stay in the place they've called home for, in some cases, over a decade.
YOLA LAMARRE: We are acknowledging the fear. We are acknowledging the travesty that is taking place and the level of uncertainty that they do feel. And then, secondly, we are making sure that they have the right resources in their reach.
FADEL: Now, the Trump administration has argued temporary protected status is just that, temporary. But it's also a designation for people whose countries are just too dangerous to go back to. Is Haiti considered safe to return to?
SHILLCOCK: By most accounts, no. The Trump administration even had mixed guidance on this debate between its agencies. If you ask the Department of Homeland Security, which I did, they say conditions have improved sufficiently to support the return of Haitian nationals. However, the U.S. Secretary of State's office considers Haiti unsafe to travel to and notes commercial flights from the U.S. to the country's capital, Port-au-Prince, are suspended. The travel advisory notes this is due to the risk of crime, kidnapping, terrorism, unrest and limited healthcare. Violent, heavily armed gangs, some of whom are considered terrorist organizations by the U.S., control much of the country.
FADEL: Ohio's Republican governor Mike DeWine has been at odds with President Trump on this decision. Has he heard anything about whether and when Immigration and Customs Enforcement might target TPS holders?
SHILLCOCK: DeWine told reporters Monday he had seen reports from CBS and Fox News citing unnamed sources that ICE would start targeting this community in Ohio. But DeWine says he hasn't heard anything himself.
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MIKE DEWINE: I'm reading the same reports that you're seeing which indicates that that will be happening, but we don't have any official word at all from ICE.
SHILLCOCK: DeWine calls the decision ending TPS a mistake and defends the community, noting their contributions to the economy at restaurants and in healthcare. DeWine says the Trump administration may not be thinking about this, and the outgoing Republican governor called for legal immigration reform.
FADEL: So what do we know about the administration's plans?
SHILLCOCK: The Department of Homeland Security told me in a statement it doesn't discuss ongoing or future operations. However, DHS did encourage eligible individuals to utilize the Customs and Border Protection Home program to have a safe and orderly departure. DHS general counsel James Percival said, quote, "the good news is, it's not too late to get a $2,600 check and a free flight home."
FADEL: That's George Shillcock with WOSU in Columbus, Ohio. Thank you, George.
SHILLCOCK: You're welcome. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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