SCOTT DETROW, HOST:
Over 330,000 Haitian immigrants living in the United States got a reprieve this week. A federal judge in Washington, D.C., granted a request to pause the termination of their temporary protected status, or TPS, while a lawsuit challenging it proceeds. Many Haitians gained that status due to the devastating earthquake in 2010.
In Springfield, Ohio, Haitian immigrants make up almost a quarter of the population. The Haitian community there came under fire during the 2024 presidential campaign when President Trump and Vice President JD Vance, who were then running for office, made unsubstantiated and false attacks against them. Viles Dorsainvil is co-founder and executive director of Springfield's Haitian Community Help and Support Center. The group supports immigrants with everything from job training to legal aid. He joins us now. Welcome to ALL THINGS CONSIDERED.
VILES DORSAINVIL: Thank you. Thank you for having me.
DETROW: What was your response when you saw the news that TPS can remain for now, at least?
DORSAINVIL: I think that it was a very good news for the community. Actually, it lowered the stress and all the anxiety that was on the back of the community. So it has been a constant fear for us here in Springfield. The ruling of the judge going to give us, like, more time to continue to prepare until further notice.
DETROW: I'm curious. What do you do with that extra time when you don't know how long it's going to last or when things could change again?
DORSAINVIL: Basically, we continue to help the community, asking them to be cautious, making sure that we are available to them for any type of assistance that they might need. This is what we continue to do for now.
DETROW: You know, Haiti is, to so many people, in turmoil. Armed gangs control part of the capital. The governance of the country is up in the air. Millions of people have been displaced within the country. You know, I could go on. But at the same time, the Department of Homeland Security says conditions have improved. What are people you're talking to hearing from friends and family back in Haiti about how safe it would be to return if they have to?
DORSAINVIL: They express that the same push factors that force people to leave in Haiti, those push factors are still in existence in Haiti. I mean, the gangsters or the hoodlums are still controlling 90% of the capital of Haiti. Folks cannot go out about their businesses. One-point-three million internal displaced folks are still in shelters, not having access to clean water, medications or food, based on the report of the United Nations. So it is like a country in chaos, and I don't know where the Department of Homeland Security find the data to prove that Haiti is safe for folks to return there.
DETROW: I mentioned the attacks and false claims Trump and Vance made about the Haitians in Springfield in the introduction. The attorneys for the Haitian TPS holders, in their court filings, have said that part of this move revoking the status is based on racial animus. Is that how you see it?
DORSAINVIL: Yeah. I see it on - because nowadays, what we see in America is that folks are being targeted based on your skin color, based on your country of origin or the accent you speak the English with. So it's not a question of human dignity or human rights, because at the end of the day, I think that there is no rationale behind taking the decision to terminate protected status for folks whose countries are not in good shape.
DETROW: We mentioned the Haitian immigrant community is about a quarter of the population of Springfield. What do you think happens to Springfield if TPS goes away, if a large chunk of these people have to leave to return to Haiti?
DORSAINVIL: I think that the economic impact would be felt in Springfield because those Haitians, the last influx of Haitian who came to Springfield after the assassination of the former president, Jovenel Moise, in 2021, those Haitian who were pushed to leave the country were Haitian with high profile. Some of them were judges, policemen, accountant, engineers, university professors. They came to Springfield. To me, Springfield has been blessed to have those folks with those skills to come to Springfield to contribute to the economy of Springfield. So this is what folks have to understand.
DETROW: That's Viles Dorsainvil, executive director of Springfield's Haitian Community Help and Support Center. Thank you so much for talking to us.
DORSAINVIL: Thank you for having me. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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