COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Gov. Mike DeWine called the coming loss of legal status for thousands of Haitian immigrants in Springfield “not a good situation” and warned it could hurt local businesses and families.

“What we have done in the past, as you know, is try to support the Springfield community,” DeWine told reporters Thursday. “We will continue to do that.”

An estimated 12,000 to 15,000 Haitians live in Springfield, and most of them immigrated on Temporary Protected Status.

TPS is a form of humanitarian relief that lets people from certain countries stay and work in the United States when their home country is facing war, natural disasters or other extreme conditions. It protects them from deportation for as long as the TPS designation remains in place.

The Department of Homeland Secur

See Full Page