Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said ending temporary protected status for Haitians who live and work in his state would be a "blow to the economy," days after a federal judge blocked the Trump administration from terminating the protections while a lawsuit proceeds.
The Republican governor told CNN on Thursday that employers would lose workers if Haitians with TPS could no longer work legally.
"If they lose temporary protected status and they no longer can work and the companies can't employ them, that's a blow to the economy," he said.
"That's a blow to the state."
A U.S. District Court judge in Washington issued a temporary stay Monday that blocked Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's order terminating TPS for Haitians, which was scheduled to take effect Tuesday, pending the outcome of a suit brought by five Haitian TPS holders.
In the 83-page memorandum opinion, Judge Ana Reyes, an appointee of former President Joe Biden, said that Noem did not consult with other agencies as required by law before ending the designation and wrote that it seemed "substantially likely" the secretary "preordained her termination decision and did so because of hostility to nonwhite immigrants."
Reyes also pointed to the State Department's current warning on Haiti.
The advisory, reissued July 15, 2025, says: "Do not travel to Haiti for any reason" and cites "kidnapping, crime, terrorist activity, civil unrest, and limited health care."
Reyes wrote, "'Do not travel to Haiti for any reason' does not exactly scream, as Secretary Noem concluded, suitable for return."
Noem announced in November that TPS for Haitians would expire in February, after an earlier move last summer was delayed by litigation.
As of March 31, 2025, federal data compiled by the Congressional Research Service listed 330,735 Haitians with approved TPS applications.
DeWine said Thursday that Springfield, Ohio, "is coming back" in part because of Haitians living and working there.
"They're not only working, but of course they're spending money in the community," he said.
"There's been businesses started. Restaurants have started."
Springfield's Haitian community drew national attention during the 2024 campaign after President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance repeated claims about migrants eating household pets.
In 2024, local and state officials said there was no evidence for those claims.
Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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