Six ways to help Haitian-Ohioans today
As ICE and the Border Patrol threaten to surge in Ohio, people around the state and country are wondering what they can do.
Here is a list of the key organizations working on the ground in Springfield and Lima, another area of Ohio that welcomed Haitians, and is now worried about their ability to remain in their new home.
Sign this petition calling for an extension of Temporary Protected Status for Haiti, started by a Springfield couple.
Register to attend the Emergency Meeting: Unite for Springfield - ICE Out of Our Communities (online) on Tuesday, February 3, at 8:30pm ET. Ohio Immigrant Alliance is one the speakers.
Program the Ohio Immigrant Hotline (email and phone) into your phone, and share it with your friends and community. Reach out if you have a question, need a speaker, want to report abuses, need support for a loved one in detention, and more.
Order your “Ohio Is Home” and “Migration Is Human” merch from our online store. Designs by Shema Asifiwe, a high school student in Cincinnati.
Join the Ohio Immigrant Alliance e-mail list for updates and action alerts, and donate to OIA. Help keep our hotline, commissary support, jail abuse monitoring/advocacy, and immigrant accompaniment programs going.
Said Lynn Tramonte, Executive Director of Ohio Immigrant Alliance, “Everyone deserves to live in a safe community. That’s why people born in Haiti and other countries made the difficult decision to move here. They’re taking care of their families and that’s something to be proud of. Many Ohioans have welcomed immigrants with open arms.
“The planned incursion of federal agents in Ohio is not about safety; it’s about showboating — at the expense of our family members, friends, neighbors, and communities. By taking legal status away from Haitians and making them vulnerable to deportation, the Trump administration is proving this is not about the rule of law. It’s about racism.
“As we’ve seen in Minnesota, ICE and the Border Patrol do not bring safety. They bring violence. Ohio does not want or need this federal invasion. Whether we’re talking about our schools, hospitals, businesses, community centers, or neighborhoods, ICE and the Border Patrol are not welcome. Their presence only creates pain, hurts businesses, and harms children — unnecessarily. Ohio leaders need to do their jobs and join us in protecting our community, rather than working with ICE and the Border Patrol, or letting them run all over our towns and cities.
“At the end of the day, WE are the ones who keep us safe. People who immigrated here from other places have already shown tremendous strength and courage. Now it’s time for those of us who were born here to be brave. Stand up to the federal invasion of Ohio and protect our community members by organizing, supporting each other, speaking out, and taking action. That is how we emerge from this unnecessary invasion stronger and more united.”
