Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine criticized the Trump administration's plans to expand arrests and deportations of Haitian migrants, calling the effort "a mistake" and warning that deporting people to Haiti would mean sending them "back to hell." His comments came as ICE prepares operations targeting Haitian communities, including in Ohio, after more than 300,000 Haitians lost Temporary Protected Status (TPS).
In an interview with CBS News, the Republican governor said planned deportation operations would be "a blow to Springfield" and "a blow to the state of Ohio," arguing Haitian migrants have helped revitalize the city by filling labor shortages and opening businesses.
"These are people who have helped Springfield really come back," DeWine said. "The Haitians who are living there and employed there, they came there to work, and they came there because there were jobs that were not being filled by other people."
DeWine also pointed to Haiti's security crisis, describing the country as being in "virtual chaos" with "no semblance of government."
"Haiti is hell today. So you'd be sending people ... back to hell," he said. "Very few of these Haitians will voluntarily go back to Haiti. If they have to leave, they'll go someplace else."
Ohio’s Republican Governor, Mike DeWine, is urging the Trump administration to back down from plans to deport Haitian migrants who are set to lose their Temporary Protected Status (TPS), telling CBS News' @camiloreports that such a move would mean sending Haitians “back to hell.” pic.twitter.com/e5oUsQGRO4
— CBS News (@CBSNews) July 28, 2026
His remarks followed a CBS News report published over the weekend that ICE has prepared plans to increase arrests and deportations of Haitian migrants as early as this week.
Internal documents reviewed by the outlet indicate the operations could target communities in Ohio, including Springfield, where thousands of Haitians have settled in recent years. The plans come after the Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to end TPS protections for Haitians, leaving more than 300,000 people eligible for deportation unless they obtain another legal status.
The Department of Homeland Security declined to discuss operational plans, saying it "does not discuss ongoing or future operations." The agency has argued TPS became a "de facto amnesty program" and encouraged affected migrants to self-deport, offering a $2,600 stipend and a flight home.
DeWine is not the only Republican to oppose ending protections for Haitians. Florida Rep. Carlos Giménez said las week that he supports extending TPS, citing Haiti's continuing instability while emphasizing that beneficiaries should be vetted and law-abiding. Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar, R-Florida echoed the sentiment:
"I do believe that the TPS needs to be extended. TPS needs to be upheld, and those who have TPS should continue in the country contributing to those jobs that they have been fulfilling up to now, and those employers need them"
