SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — Springfield residents and advocates are reacting to reports of Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity and arrests in the city over the last week, including the detention of a local pastor described by a faith group as a prominent member of the Haitian community.
The mayor of Springfield has confirmed ICE’s presence in the city. ICE has previously said that it does not comment on ongoing operations.
G92, a faith group in Springfield, said one of the people detained, Gilbert Joubert Adrien, was a local pastor and a well-known religious leader in the Haitian community.
“He’s well-known and regarded in the Haitian community,” G92 spokesperson Michael McCrelland said. “He’s a religious leader, which in any community is important, but particularly so among the Haitians. And to snatch him up like ICE has done is just a gut punch to the people who are trying to barely get by here already.”
Advocates said ICE’s presence has had a broader effect on the Haitian community. In an interview with Spectrum News earlier in August, James Pepitho Fleurijean, with the Haitian Support Center, said some people were afraid to leave their homes or open their businesses.
“As you can tell, most of the Haitian business, they are all closed,” Fleurijean said. “The restaurant, the stores, everything they shut down completely. And the people are not really coming out.”
At least one Haitian restaurant in the area was closed outside its typical hours, though the exact reason was unknown. Kevin Bonecutter said he drove from Cincinnati to support the restaurant but found it empty.
“It’s just like a dagger right into my heart,” Bonecutter said. “Just the belief of living in America, we should be free. We should be able to live in the streets and not be afraid of walking down the streets or coming to work and just running our own business and being detained.”
The developments come after Springfield drew national attention during the 2024 presidential debate. The city has remained a focus in national immigration discussions.
During a visit Friday, Republican Vice President JD Vance received applause from some attendees as he discussed deportation efforts and job growth.
“For the first time in my life, America saw net migration out of the country as we sent millions of illegal immigrants back home,” Vance said.
Vance also said he was proud of job growth among native-born Americans.
“As a result of that, this is maybe the thing I’m most proud of in the last 18 months,” Vance said. “Do you know that all net job growth over the past 18 months went to native-born Americans, reversing a trend for four years where it all went to other people?”
Ohio Democrat Kristina Knickerbocker said she disagrees with the ongoing deportation effort and supports the Haitian community remaining in Springfield.
“I welcome the Haitian community because they should feel safe there,” Knickerbocker said. “They are not safe if they go home to Haiti. And so it is important for those that are willing to contribute to our society, build businesses, pay taxes, that they get to remain here.”
It is not known how long ICE will continue operating in Springfield. Haitian immigrants lost their temporary protected status earlier this year.