Approximately 15,000 Haitians live in Springfield, OhioOn Tuesday, they were on the verge of deportation as their Temporary Protected Status (TPS) was set to expire. A federal judge has now temporarily blocked the expiration date, setting up a legal showdown with the Trump administration and thrusting the small city — which became the center of the immigration debate during the Biden administration — back into the national spotlight.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security officially ended Haiti’s TPS designation earlier this year, meaning protections extended and expanded by the Biden administration in 2024 that allow hundreds of thousands of Haitians to live and work legally in the United States will end at 11:59 p.m. on February 3 unless they obtain another legal status.

On Monday night, U.S. District Judge Ana C. Reyes in Washington, D.C. stop the trump administration And on Monday it approved an emergency request to halt the termination of Haitians’ Temporary Protected Status (TPS) while litigation over the decision continues.

Reyes said in an 83-page order that termination would be “null and without legal effect” during the stay, preserving the recipients’ ability to work and protecting them from arrest and deportation.

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The Rev. Reginald Silencio (right) leads a worship service at First Haitian Evangelical Church in Springfield on Sunday, February 1, 2026, in Springfield, Ohio. (AP Photo/Luis Andrés Henao)

The judge’s order prompted an immediate backlash from the Trump administration.

“Supreme Court, here we come,” Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security Tricia McLaughlin Posted on X. “This was lawless action and we will defend it.”

“Haiti’s TPS, which was acquired after an earthquake 15 years ago, was never intended to be a de facto amnesty program, but that’s how it has been used by successive governments for decades.”

McLaughlin went on to say that “temporary is temporary” and “the final decision will not be made by an activist judge sitting on the bench legislating.”

Stephen Miller, White House deputy chief of staff for policy, Posted on X”, “An unelected judge just ruled that elections, laws and borders don’t exist. “

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On January 28, 2025, ICE federal law enforcement agents detained a suspect in Houston, Texas. (ice)

As the TPS expiration deadline approaches, politicians and liberal activist groups are beginning to prepare for the arrival of federal immigration agents in Springfield, Ohio, a suburban town in southwestern Ohio between Dayton and Columbus that has been at the forefront of the immigration debate during the Biden administration.

on Sunday, Demonstrators gather At a church in Springfield, people pretending to be ICE agents staged a role-play demonstration to protest the possible deportation of Springfield’s estimated 15,000 Haitians. A few days ago, former Ohio Democrat. Senator Sherrod Brown, who is trying to mount a comeback in the 2026 Senate race, called on Ohio Republicans to publicly support extending protected status. postal This prompted a backlash from conservatives on social media.

While Haitian immigrants, many of whom came to Springfield after the 2021 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise, were welcomed by many local leaders, tensions began to surface, highlighted by an incident in 2023 when a minivan driven by a Haitian immigrant collided with a school bus, killing 11-year-old Aiden Clark and injuring dozens of other children.

Springfield locals have repeatedly expressed dissatisfaction with road safety, arguing that immigrants with little driving experience in their home countries are being allowed easy access to the streets, leading to dangerous conditions on the roads.

Many Haitians who flooded into the country during the Biden administration initially did not have visas to enter the United States, and critics believe the government is using “parole” and “TPS” as loopholes to mass legalize people who would otherwise be considered illegal aliens.

July 2024, Springfield City Manager Bryan Heck sent a letter The Senate Banking and Housing Committee has warned that a surge of 15,000 to 20,000 immigrants has created a housing crisis that is unsustainable for a town of 60,000 people.

Springfield, Ohio, is at ground zero for the immigration debate during the 2024 presidential election, with residents sounding the alarm about an uncontrolled influx of immigrants into the town that they say is draining resources and services, making the town less safe, driving up rents and leading to longer wait times for health and social services.

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A mural in Springfield, Ohio. (Joseph A. Wolfson/Fox News Digital)

Springfield became a flashpoint in the presidential election, with President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect Vance both citing social media posts claiming Haitian immigrants were eating pets there.

“They’re eating the dogs, they’re eating the people that come in, they’re eating the cats,” Trump said on the debate stage with Vice President Harris. “They’re eating the pets of the people who live there, and that’s what’s happening in our country, and it’s a disgrace.”

Trump also vowed on the campaign trail that he would end temporary protections for Haitian immigrants and pursue mass deportations, Fox News Digital promised report Trump’s decisive electoral victory in mid-November caused some Haitians to leave the town.

It’s unclear what action, if any, ICE will take in Springfield if TPS status is ultimately revoked, Ohio Republican Gov. Mike DeWine, who is widely considered not to be part of the party’s MAGA faction, said Friday despite Republican voters largely supporting Trump’s immigration agenda. He has concerns about ICE operations in Springfield.

“I think it’s a mistake to take away Temporary Protected Status for Haitians. I think it’s a mistake from a policy perspective for a couple of reasons,” DeWine said at a news conference. Dayton Daily News reports.

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President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference at the White House on Tuesday, January 20, 2026, in Washington. (Mark Schiffelbein/AP Photo)

“Number one, the situation in Haiti is the most horrific I’ve ever seen. Gangs control most of the country, the violence is extremely high, the economy is in shambles, the government doesn’t work, the police are almost worthless, so it’s a very, very dangerous place. That doesn’t mean things are getting better in Haiti.”

DeWine continued, “But more importantly to the people of the United States and to the people of Ohio, Temporary Protected Status, if it is lifted next week, it will mean that thousands of Haitians who are working, contributing to their communities, contributing to the economy, are able to work one day and not be able to work the next.”

DeWine said if ICE operates in Springfield, he hopes they will follow “good police practices” and “obey the law.”

“If anyone wants to demonstrate, they have the right to demonstrate. However, no one should be there to interfere with ICE doing what they are legally allowed to do,” DeWine added.

If the Trump administration formally asks the Supreme Court to step in and issue a stay, the administration could resume the termination of TPS and potentially immediately initiate enforcement actions in Springfield and other jurisdictions, even as the actual litigation continues in lower courts.

“We don’t live in a democracy when a Democratic president can enact a temporary plan and unelected Democratic judges can unilaterally prevent a duly elected Republican president from undoing that plan,” said Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio. Posted on X following Monday’s ruling.

“This is not permanent protected status. This outrageous decision cannot stand.”

Fox News Digital’s Michael Dorgan and Emma Bussey contributed to this report.