Mobilizing for Haitian Immigrants in Ohio | Nonprofit Quarterly | Civic News. Empowering Nonprofits. Advancing Justice.

"Haitians settled in Ohio in recent years, drawn by job opportunities in construction and manufacturing, and by a lower cost of living compared to other parts of the country. Springfield in particular became a key destination thanks to existing community networks."

"This migration revitalized the local economy and added cultural diversity, but it also strained public services and made the community a target of anti-immigrant rhetoric, including Donald Trump's false claim during a 2024 presidential debate that Haitian immigrants were eating cats and dogs."

"Of the over one million Haitian immigrants in the United States, approximately 330,000 hold Temporary Protected Status (TPS), a designation established for Haiti in 2010. The Trump administration was set to end the program by early February 2026, but at the last minute a federal judge temporarily barred the termination."

Ohio hosts approximately 30,000 Haitian residents, with 15,000 in Springfield, representing one of the state's largest Haitian concentrations. Haitian migration to Ohio stems from Haiti's 2010 earthquake, hurricanes, political instability, gang violence, and economic hardship. Haitians settled in Ohio for construction and manufacturing jobs and lower living costs, with Springfield becoming a key destination through community networks. While this migration revitalized the local economy and increased cultural diversity, it strained public services and attracted anti-immigrant hostility, including false claims by political figures. Over 330,000 Haitian immigrants in the United States hold Temporary Protected Status, established in 2010. The Trump administration's attempt to end TPS for Haitian immigrants in early February 2026 was temporarily blocked by a federal judge, with the case now heading to the Supreme Court.

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