Trump again targets Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio

During the 2024 presidential debates between Biden and Trump, Trump pushed the lurid accusation that Haitian immigrants were “eating cats and dogs.” This claim had percolated up through social media for a while before being picked up by professional agitator Christopher Rufo, well-known for popularizing right-ring panics like the one over “critical race theory.” Rufo and his Manhattan Institute brought these falsehoods to the ears of J.D. Vance and Trump, who made it mainstream. Since then, Springfield, Ohio, has been a touchstone for the right wing’s chauvinist campaign against immigrants.

Now in 2026, focus has returned to Springfield following the Trump administration’s efforts to remove Temporary Protected Status from Haitian immigrants and to launch large ICE raids in the Ohio town.

Springfield and Haitian immigration

Springfield was once an important manufacturing hub that hosted major printing and machinery companies before prolonged waves of deindustrialization. The rapid growth of the Haitian community followed moves by the city government starting in 2014 to stem the city’s sharp decline by welcoming immigrants.

This wager worked, and along with state subsidization and tax abatements, a variety of warehouses, parts manufacturers, and a semiconductor parts producer were convinced to set up shop in Springfield—albeit without the unions common before the crisis. Since the pandemic, Springfield has experienced the second-highest rate of job growth in the state of Ohio. Haitians were welcomed to fill vacancies in these growing industries and now comprise 20-25% of Springfield’s 60,000 residents.

Though the city’s immigration program was a success for local capital, there have been growing pains, such as overburdened schools and medical systems due to the sharp rise in population. These problems, coupled with the visibility of the Haitian population within a quaint, predominantly white small city environment slightly resembling the Trumpian imaginary ideal, made Springfield a convenient target for anti-immigrant and racist fixations.

In the months after the administration pushed the fabricated narratives around eating cats and dogs in 2024, Haitians in Springfield became the target of the far right. Local news station WDTN referred to Summer 2024 as a “summer of harassment” when referring to the actions of the “Blood Tribe,” which conducted some of the most outrageous actions of the larger targeting of Springfield’s Haitians. Blood Tribe is an explicitly Nazi organization and cult that prides itself in doing what the rest of the far right wants to do but is too afraid to undertake.

According to allegations put forward by the City of Springfield in a court case filed against the Blood Tribe, the group called in 33 bomb threats, doxxed Haitians, and sent numerous suspicious packages resembling bombs to local supporters of the Haitian community over that Summer. On Aug. 10, 2024, they waved swastika flags, shouted slurs, and pointed guns at people at a local Jazz and Blues Festival. On Sept. 28, Blood Tribe showed up with 20-30 men in uniform for a night demonstration outside the house of the mayor of Springfield, Rob Rue. Inside the house, the mayor sat with a loaded shotgun in fear for his family’s safety.

Beyond the Blood Tribe, the Haitian community faced targeting in 2024 by right-wing groups such as Patriot Front and harassment by individual racists. The Trump administration’s provocation had serious real-world consequences for the Haitian community. After that Summer,  however, the attention of the right shifted away from Springfield for a time.

From vigilantism to legalized racism

Unfortunately, this respite was short-lived. Under the emboldened second Trump administration, the targeting of Haitian immigrants in Springfield has entered a new phase. Instead of relying solely on empowering and emboldening right-wing vigilante violence, the government is now seeking a harassment strategy with the veneer of legality. In November 2025, the Trump administration announced that it would seek to remove Temporary Protected Status from the 350,000 Haitians who were granted it throughout the United States since 2010.

Once again, Springfield has been raised into the spotlight in the targeting of immigrant communities. On Feb. 5, 2025, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced the impending termination of TPS for Haitian immigrants. For the last year, this decision has faced many legal hurdles until winding its way up to the right-wing-dominated Supreme Court. The Court upheld the original decision to allow revocation. DHS proceeded with the termination, with the date set for Feb. 3, 2026.

At the end of January, Springfield prepared for the impending revocation and slated ICE raids. Trainings were held at some churches to prepare for ICE raid scenarios, and schools and businesses braced for disruptions. But days before the end of TPS, another federal judge intervened to block the revocation, pending even more litigation.

All of this leaves the Haitian community in limbo. The community has been preparing for the end of TPS and ICE raids and is readying itself for the likely turmoil that will follow.

Resisting the new wave of deportations

Though AI-generated pictures have gone viral on social media depicting white Springfielders welcoming ICE agents into the community with fanfare, the real stories are ones of solidarity.

The community of Springfield has come out for dozens of events expressing solidarity with their neighbors and preparing to defend them in the face of ICE interventions. On Jan. 20, Indivisible Springfield planned a peace walk, while a local church organized a know-your-rights training with 200 in attendance on Jan. 24. St. John’s Missionary Baptist Church in Springfield hosted an event entitled, “Here We Stand: Faith Leaders for Immigrant Justice and Family Unity,” which brought out between 500 to 1000 attendees, exceeding the church’s capacity. About $150,000 was raised at this event for advocacy groups.

On the day that the TPS revocation was blocked there were many local celebrations. These are just a few events among many that show the community’s resolve to resist ICE and defend their neighbors.

The solidarity has not been limited to Springfield alone. All across Ohio, dozens of protests, rallies, and meetings have taken place to protest the attacks on Haitian immigrants. The Feb. 7 day of action saw protests in Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Dayton, Akron, and Toledo, most of the major population centers in the state. Ohioans have demonstrated that they are ready to stand against attacks on the Haitian community all across the state.

Despite the continuing legal respite, we should anticipate the end of TPS and that large-scale ICE raids will take place in Springfield. It is important that we prepare the movement to fight back and win.

Minneapolis has set an example demonstrating that the movement can beat back the Trump administration’s aggressive attacks on immigrants. The active participation of tens of thousands in the defense of Minneapolis from ICE aggression has forced the government to back down and announce the end of the acute phase of the ICE invasion. The community achieved this through organizing thousands for rapid response to ICE raids and huge mass demonstrations.

The murders of Renee Good and Alex Pretti galvanized public opinion across the country against the invasion of Minneapolis and St. Paul. Minneapolis has shown the country both the unchecked brutality of ICE and the possibility of fighting back and winning. We need to digest these lessons and bring them to our struggle in Ohio. The movement must build organized influence through the whole community in Springfield and mobilize thousands against any potential ICE operations. We need to support the strong initiative taken by the churches and community organizations and encourage further organization and mobilization. An effective response will require mass organizing methods and support from across the state.

Organizing in Ohio has yet to take the deep roots that it has built in cities like Los Angeles, but we have to move in that direction. The movement has proven that it can stop the Trump administration’s offensive in its tracks. It is up to us all to stand with the Haitian community in their struggle for a decent life in this country. Only through these efforts can we build off the victory of Minneapolis and make Springfield a safe place for all.

(Top photo) Federal agents conduct raid in Springfield, Ohio, in early February.