Homan’s “border czar” role does not require Senate confirmation, so he will be in that position. Some immigration experts say the move he suggests may not be that simple.
Miguel Jerome, who runs the Springfield-based Haitian radio station New Diaspora Live, told this news outlet, “as we are getting closer to January … probably a good majority of the people in town are talking (about) is it safe to stay in town.”
While nowhere in the U.S. would be safe if Homan got his way, Jerome noted Springfield is perceived as being a target of enforcement. He said many Haitians are looking to move to larger cities with more diverse populations, or closer to jobs in Dayton, Columbus or other Ohio cities.
Jerome said even Haitian-Americans who are citizens are concerned for their safety. Haitian groups in Springfield are working to educate people about available resources and their rights, he said.
“(That) community is not afraid of getting deported. It’s more afraid about having to live with some discrimination, abuse or attack, any violent response once that machine, that deportation machine starts implementing,” he said. “So that’s the fear we have in the community.”
Credit: Bill Lackey
Credit: Bill Lackey
Immigration experts have told this news outlet that ending TPS may be easier said than done. Trump’s effort to end TPS for Haitians during his first term was blocked by the courts. The Biden administration in 2021 extended TPS to Feb. 3, 2026.
Homan himself said on the show that if someone on TPS has an asylum case pending, which many do, “that could make it more difficult.”
But on TPS, he said “Temporary means temporary.”
“Whatever reason you got temporary protected status, maybe it’s a hurricane in your homeland, war in your homeland, as soon as that situation clears up, you need to go home and we need to be real hard on that.”
TPS was first approved for Haitians in 2010 after a major earthquake devastated the country. It has been redesignated as gang violence has overwhelmed the country. In March, armed gangs attacked Haitian prisons, with multiple media reports indicating over 3,000 inmates escaped. In April, the prime minister resigned. Reuters reported in late October that more than 4,200 Haitians had fled their homes in the span of a week due to fresh attacks around the capital, according to U.N. estimates.
A week ago, the Federal Aviation Administration prohibited U.S. airlines from flying to Haiti for 30 days after gangs shot at three planes and the United Nations also temporarily suspended flights to the capitol Port-au-Prince, limiting humanitarian aid coming into the country.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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