SPRINGFIELD, Ohio (AP) — In a church crowded to overcapacity, two-dozen faith leaders and their audience of hundreds sang and prayed together in unity Monday as a sign of support for Haitian migrants, some of whom fear their protected status in the United States may be ended this week.
Religious leaders representing congregations from across the United States attended the event at Springfield’s St. John Missionary Baptist Church, demanding an extension of the Temporary Protection Status that has allowed thousands of Haitian migrants to legally arrive in Springfield in recent years fleeing unrest and gang violence in their homeland. The TPS designation for Haiti is set to expire Tuesday, and those gathered were hoping that a federal judge might intervene and issue a pause.
“We believe in the legal system of this country of ours, we still believe. We believe that through the legal ways, the judge hopefully will rule in favor of current TPS holders today that will allow them to stay while we continue to fight,” Guerline Jozef, executive director of the Haitian Bridge Alliance, told the packed church.
So many people turned up for the church event that a fire marshal had to ask 150 to leave because the building had exceeded its 700-person capacity. Hundreds joined a choir clapping and singing: “You got to put one foot in front of the other and lead with love.” They also observed a moment of silence for people who have died in federal immigration detention and for Alex Pretti and Renee Good, who were shot and killed by federal officers in Minneapolis. Some of the speakers evoked biblical passages while appealing for empathic treatment of migrants.
The Department of Homeland Security announced last June that it would terminate TPS for about 500,000 Haitians who were already in the U.S., including some who had lived in the country for more than a decade. DHS said conditions in the island nation had improved enough to allow their safe return.
Federal judge in Washington is expected to rule any day on a request to pause the TPS termination for Haitians while a lawsuit challenging it proceeds. TPS allows people already in the U.S. to stay and work legally if their homelands are deemed unsafe.
In the weeks after Trump’s negative remarks about the Haitian community during his 2024 campaign, which falsely accused its members of eating neighbor’s pets, bomb threats were reported targeting schools, government buildings, and homes of elected officials in Springfield. Since then, the Haitian community has lived in constant fear, which has intensified as the TPS deadline approaches.
At the First Haitian Evangelical Church, many congregants remained at home out of fear of immigration raids. Rev. Reginald Silencieux mentioned that half of the regular attendees missed service due to uncertainties regarding their future. His congregation, under constant anxiety, remains in prayer, asking for divine intervention and support amidst these challenging times.
Jerome Bazard, a member of the Haitian community, voiced concerns that the end of TPS would devastate families who rely on it for legal work and safety, as the conditions in Haiti remain dire.
