Advocates for the large Haitian diaspora are fighting Trump’s revocation in court, so there is a chance the move can be forestalled. However, top officials including Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, have said the Department of Homeland Security has plans in place to immediately swarm the industrial epicenter of Haitian migration — Springfield, Ohio — with a massive force of federal agents to begin deportation raids.
You probably remember Springfield from its prominence in the 2024 presidential campaign. Over the last decade, a surge of Haitian migrants into a once nearly comatose factory town — some 12,000 to 15,000 people, or now a quarter of the small city’s population — revitalized Springfield yet triggered a moral panic among some white neighbors who shared utterly unfounded rumors of animal abuse.
As of 3/31/25, approximately 1,297, 635 individuals from 17 nations were residing in the USA- fewer now, no doubt- due to Temporary Protected Status, which is
The DHS Secretary can extend TPS after a review of country
conditions. A decision concerning an extension should typically be made at
least 60 days before the TPS designation is set to expire. The Secretary can
extend the TPS designation for a six, 12 or 18-month period or decide to cancel
the designation.
TPS now applies to individuals from 12 nations. The Administration is now in the process of taking away the designation from Venezuela and Nicaragua. Bunch denounces ICE
zeroing in on so many Venezuelans, who came to America to
escape the rule of a man the Trump regime has now arrested as a criminal
dictator of a nation that the U.S. State Department has deemed violent and
unsafe? Why deport the thousands of Latinos who worked tirelessly to rebuild
New Orleans after it was decimated by Hurricane Katrina?
Not only is Trump’s mass deportation not nabbing many violent criminals, but his unholy war is undoing the very foundation of the story that America tells itself to live — that our willingness to accept the huddled masses fleeing political violence or persecution made us an exceptional nation. It was always an uneven narrative, but the regime’s masked men are now erasing it in service of unapologetic white supremacy.
But we have been willing to accept those huddled masses with TPS, which lacks a "lawful path to permanent residence (a green card) or citizenship." The beneficiaries could mow our lawns, construct or clean buildings, pick crops, wash dishes or serve food at our restaurants. Low wages, few benefits, and arbitrary termination from employment are common.
What these individuals could not, and cannot, obtain is citizenship.In 2020, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services explained
Citizenship is the common thread that connects all Americans. We are a nation bound not by race or religion, but by the shared values of freedom, liberty, and equality.
Throughout our history, the United States has welcomed newcomers from all over the world. Immigrants have helped shape and define the country we know today. Their contributions help preserve our legacy as a land of freedom and opportunity. More than 200 years after our founding, naturalized citizens are still an important part of our democracy. By becoming a U.S. citizen, you too will have a voice in how our nation is governed.
The decision to apply is a significant one. Citizenship offers many benefits and equally important responsibilities. By applying, you are demonstrating your commitment to this country and our form of government.
Elizabeth Bruenig of The Atlantic (subscription required) recently reminded us that the USA was founded on "the idea that a nationcould be baound not by race, ethnicity, or language but by fidelity to a set of principles- liberty, equality,self-governance, and inalienable rights."
It's an idea expressed, in one way or another at one time or another, by such notables as Ronald Reagan, Joe Biden, and Lindsey Graham. Yet, it's something we need to be reminded of as the promiscuous implementation of Temporary Protection Status belies the ideal.
It belies the ideal because as we invite people(s) from other countries in, they are not invited to be Americans, not even second-class citizens. They are given a work permit and escape from an ongoing armed conflict, environmental disaster,or extraoridnary and temporary conditions.
They are not asked to give a commitment to this country or to those principles which Bruenig and others cite as foundational principles of America. And in return, they can have their Temporary Protected Status yanked from them whenever the federal government chooses, as the Trump Administration is feverishly attempting.
In the 1984 "America" written by Sammy Johns, Waylon Jennings sang "and my brothers are all black and white, yellow too, and the red man is right; to expect a little from you, promise and then follow through, America."
Promise and then follow through. That's exactly what we don't do with TPS, and no Administration can promise to do because it all can be done.
In some instances, temporary protection status is probably appropriate. However, there should be less of it and more of a program of true citizenship. Individuals would be given an opportunity to work toward citizenship, and over a shorter period of time than has been proposed in the past. Applicants would be assisted in this goal which, if achieved, would beneift this country. If they decided not to participate significantly, their continued presence would not be welcomed. If they chose to be Americans, to be a part of our continuing experiment, they would be a valuable addition.
Obviously and unfortunately, this is all moot now. This is Donald Trump's government and autocratic strategy and acquiesence to his schemes is necessary to maintain, as Bunch recognizes, "the very foundation of the story that America tells itself to live."
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