(The Center Square) The American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio is denouncing a possible federal immigration crackdown on Haitian immigrants in Springfield.
The ACLU statement followed media reports that Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine told state leaders that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is planning a 30-day surge in Ohio the ACLU said in a news release.
The operation in Ohio is set to begin Feb. 4 after the Trump administration ended Temporary Protective Status about 500,000 Haitian immigrants in the U.S.
“The ACLU of Ohio firmly denounces ICE actions in our state and expresses extreme concern over this escalated, dangerous operation,” the group said Wednesday.
Gov. DeWine’s office would not confirm the possible crackdown.
“The Ohio Governor’s Office has not received any information, guidance, or confirmation from federal immigration authorities regarding any potential enforcement actions either in Springfield or regarding the end of any TPS status,” DeWine spokesman Dan Tierney said in an email to TCS. “I cannot confirm any of the information reported by the news outlet referenced beyond that the Governor meets regularly with Springfield officials, including this month.
ICE did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The ACLU is “closely monitoring” the situation, the organization said.
“This despicable surge in lawless ICE officers descending upon Springfield will ignite swells of fear within the Haitian community, terrorize our Black and Brown neighbors, and cause considerable damage to citizens and non-citizens alike,” J. Bennett Guess, ACLU of Ohio executive director, said in a statement. “Following the government’s senseless, brutal killings of Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis, it is clear that ICE poses a grave threat to all who call Ohio home.”
The news comes after Trump and Vice President JD Vance brought Springfield to national attention during the president campaign.
Leading up to the presidential debate between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris in the fall of 2024, Vance spent a week saying refugees were stealing and eating the pets of Springfield residents. Trump repeated the false claims.
Springfield officials, DeWine and other state officials repeatedly debunked the claims, but Trump and Vance continued to promote them.
There were more than 30 bomb threats and threats of other acts of violence in the city, forcing schools, colleges and government offices to close.
DeWine ordered state troopers to post at each public school in Springfield.
