Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said Monday the Trump administration's planned crackdown on Haitian migrants would hurt the state's economy and send many people back to dangerous conditions, calling the effort "a mistake."
The Republican governor's comments came as more than 300,000 Haitians are set to lose Temporary Protected Status (TPS) this week after the Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to end the humanitarian program for Haitians, CBS News reported.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement is preparing deportation operations targeting Haitian migrants as early as this week.
Speaking in Columbus, DeWine said the planned enforcement actions would be "a blow to Springfield" and "a blow to the state of Ohio," pointing to the economic contributions of Haitian immigrants who have settled in the city in recent years.
"These are people who have helped Springfield really come back," DeWine said. "The Haitians who are living there and employed there, they came there to work, and they came there because there were jobs that were not being filled by other people."
Springfield became a focal point during the 2024 presidential campaign after President Donald Trump claimed, without evidence, that Haitian immigrants there were eating cats and dogs. Local officials said they found no evidence supporting those allegations.
DeWine also cited Haiti's deteriorating security situation, saying deporting migrants there would place them at risk.
"Haiti is hell today. So you'd be sending people back to hell," he said. "Very few of these Haitians will voluntarily go back to Haiti. If they have to leave, they'll go someplace else. They want to work. They want to support their family. They don't want to go back to Haiti."
Haiti has been designated for TPS since a devastating earthquake struck the country in 2010. The designation has been renewed several times, allowing hundreds of thousands of Haitians to remain and work legally in the United States.
The Department of Homeland Security moved last year to terminate TPS for Haitians, saying continuing the designation was "not in the national interest" and arguing conditions in Haiti had improved enough for citizens to return safely.
The administration's decision is part of a broader effort to end TPS protections for several countries, including Haiti, Syria, and Venezuela.
DHS has argued the program was intended to provide temporary humanitarian relief but has instead become what it calls a "de facto amnesty program."
In a statement over the weekend, DHS encouraged migrants losing protected status to self-deport, offering $2,600 and a free flight home.
The move prompted legal challenges. A federal judge initially blocked the administration's action, calling it "arbitrary and capricious" and partly "rooted in racial animus." The Supreme Court, however, ruled in late June that the administration could proceed with ending TPS for Haitians and Syrians.
Federal data show about 334,000 Haitians held Temporary Protected Status as of last year, not including those who have since obtained lawful permanent resident status.
DeWine has previously broken with Trump over Haitian immigration.
In a 2024 interview, he dismissed claims that Haitians were eating pets, saying they stemmed from internet rumors and noting local officials found no evidence to support them.