(The Center Square) – Haitian immigrants in Ohio who were under federal temporary protective status could see their state driver’s licenses and work permits expire this week following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling.
The court declined to extend TPS status on June 25, holding the argument that the Trump administration terminated the status based on race is unlikely to succeed.”
“A race-neutral explanation for the government’s action exists: the current administration opposes the TPS program as it has been implemented in the past and has terminated every TPS designation that has come up for renewal,” the court ruled in a 6-3 vote.
In Ohio, driver’s licenses held by those on Haitian TPS status had a July 1 expiration date, Lindsey Bohrer, spokesman for the Ohio Department of Public Safety, told The Center Square.
“Because the Supreme Court ruling did not extend expiration dates of any states’ driver licenses, the July 1, 2026, expiration date stands,” Bohrer said. “We can’t say with any kind of certainty how many Haitian TPS holders are in Ohio, but we only have approximately 1,700 that have driver’s licenses or IDs.”
A 30,000 estimate for Haitians with TPS status who have Ohio driver’s licenses is “inaccurate,” Bohrer said.
It is also uncertain how many Haitians with TPS status in Ohio have work permits.
“The majority of Haitians in the state of Ohio are under a legal status as assigned by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and did not come to Ohio through the refugee resettlement process,” Thomas Betti, spokesman with the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services told The Center Square. “Therefore, we do not have the information you are seeking and will have to refer you to the federal government.”
Congress created the TPS program in 1990 “to provide short-term humanitarian relief for aliens who cannot safely return to their home countries,” the U.S. Supreme Court said in its recent ruling. “Although designed to afford temporary relief, TPS designations in practice have often lasted for decades.”
Haiti was granted a TPS designation in 2010 after Haiti received a “devastating” earthquake, according to the court.
In Ohio, Springfield is home to many Haitian immigrants. They are attracted to Springfield because of the lower cost of living and availability of jobs, the city says on its website.
TPS is a “temporary benefit” and does not automatically lead to permanent legal status, the city said.
“However, immigrants cannot be deported while granted TPS,” according to Springfield.
The city is home to many businesses opened by Haitians including two restaurants and seven grocery stores, the city said.
Ohio State Rep. Ashley Bryant Bailey, D-Cincinnati, condemned the recent Supreme Court ruling.
“By a 6-3 vote, the Court handed the Trump administration complete power to strip Haitian and Syrian immigrants of the protections that have allowed them to live and work here legally, with virtually no ability for intervention,” Bailey said in a statement. “More than 10,000 of those individuals are here in Ohio.”But State Rep. Bernie Willis, R-Springfield, in 2024 was critical of the influx of Haitian migrants.“The Haitian migrant influx into Springfield is the result of failed Federal immigration policy under the Biden-Harris Administration,” he said in a statement. “Local leaders have been trying to sound the alarm for years that the mass migration into a community of only 60,000 people was pushing this community to its breaking point. Now, they are facing a 15,000 to 20,000 increase in population that is straining the local services, leading to increased time for citizens to receive crucial public benefits.”
