After the Trump administration, backed by a recent Supreme Court decision, put the “temporary” back into “Temporary Protected Status (TPS),” the current focus is on Springfield, Ohio, a town of about 45,000 that saw its population explode when 15,000 Haitians with TPS moved in.
Now that Trump has successfully revoked a 2010 TPS designation that was only supposed to last 18 months, some 350,000 Haitians nationwide have the choice of being deported or self-deporting.
There’s an online rumor that the mere act of revoking this TPS status has resulted in 80 percent of Springfield’s Haitians self-deporting. That is almost certainly not true or even close to the real number. There have been anecdotal reports of people leaving, but no evidence of anything close to mass deportation.
Things are about to happen, though, because as of today, TPS ends for these Haitians on Friday, July 24…
“Temporary protected status for Haitians was extended for two weeks on Friday, July 10, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, offering a reprieve to the many living in the Springfield area,” according to a local report. “TPS for Haitians was initially expected to expire on Friday, sparking protests in Springfield for the past two weeks following a U.S. Supreme Court Decision.”
“TPS for Haitians is now set to expire on July 24 and for Syrians, on July 17,” adds the report. Thousands of Springfield Haitians “were still legally clocking in for work ahead of the expected expiration of work authorization on Friday.”
The 80 percent number comes from an unverified comment from a Springfield Haitian man interviewed recently by Spectrum News. You can watch that full report here.
Either way, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) jumped on the news report Monday and urged those whose TPS status ends Friday to take advantage of the government’s self-deportation initiative, which offers free plane fare and a $2,600 payout.
“Haitians with terminated TPS in Springfield, Ohio, are SELF-DEPORTING following the Supreme Court’s ruling last month,” read the X post. “To others in the US with terminated TPS: self-deport today and we’ll help you get back to your country with a $2,600 check and a FREE flight home.”
Yes, it’s frustrating that we have to pay people $2,600 and airfare to do what they should have done on their own, but it’s a lot cheaper than the alternative, which is the man-hours involved in finding people, holding them, and then flying them home anyway.
And remember, that’s where these people are going: home. An earthquake brought them here. They knew the stay would be temporary (18 months). That turned into 16 years, and instead of complaining, protesting, and making things difficult for their very generous hosts, they should be grateful for the extra time and thank America on their way … home.
