Judge blocks Trump administration from ending legal protections for Haitians...

A federal judge issued a last minute reprieve on Feb. 2, blocking President Donald Trump's attempt to end temporary protected status for hundreds of thousands of Haitian immigrants in the U.S. The status, which allows about 350,000 Haitians to legally live and work in the United States, had been set to expire on Feb. 3. It includes about 30,000 Haitians in central Ohio and another 15,000 in Springfield. U.S. District Court Judge for the District of Columbia Ana Reyes issued a ruling postponing the effective date of the Trump Administration's cancellation of TPS for Haitians. The extension is a result of a case filed in July in that court. The TPS status for Haitian immigrants previously was extended by a federal court from a Sept. 3, 2025, expiration date to Feb. 3. The status can be granted to immigrants from countries where there is ongoing armed conflict, environmental disaster, epidemics or other extraordinary and temporary conditions. Reyes' ruling says the termination of TPS is "null, void and of no legal effect" and will not impact the work authorization of Haitian immigrants. Those under TPS status will also be protected from detention of deportation for the length of the judicial stay. Ohio's Haitian population, particularly in Springfield, drew national attention during the 2024 presidential campaign when President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance spread false claims that immigrants from Haiti who lived there were eating pets. The expiration of TPS protection for Haitian immigrants had led to concerns about surges in immigration enforcement operations in Springfield and the surrounding area. Ohio Immigrant Alliance's Executive Director Lynn Tramonte praised the court decision but said temporary measures don't solve the bigger problem. "This 11th hour reprieve is, of course, welcome. But people can't live their lives like this, pegging their families' futures to a court case," Tramonte said. "Haitian-Ohioans have literally saved their own lives and their kids' lives, multiple times. They did the hard part. The least this country can do is honor their strength and contributions by giving them a permanent home. That is what many in Ohio are advocating for, as was made clear in Springfield today." On Jan. 29, Reyes filed an entry in the case expressing frustration at not having some information before being forced to make a decision. "Through delay (with both parties at varying degrees of fault), the Court will not have the benefit of any discovery prior to the entry of its decision," Reyes wrote. "The Government's concern seems to be the Court's speed; the Court notes it concern is the parties' lack of it. In the future, the Court will move slower if the parties moved faster." Reyes also took issue with the Trump administration's filing of a nine page motion that was no longer relevant to the case. "The Government has only itself to blame for wasting time drafting a motion that was moot from the jump," Reyes wrote. Reporter Bethany Bruner can be reached at bbruner@dispatch.com.