Federal immigration enforcement against Haitians in Ohio is set to continue, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said Friday, as the Trump administration steps up efforts following the end of Temporary Protected Status for Haitian immigrants.

Mullin made the comments during a visit to Warren County, Ohio, where he met with local law enforcement officials and ICE representatives to discuss cooperation between federal immigration authorities and local agencies.

The visit came as Springfield’s Haitian community faces increased immigration enforcement and renewed national attention.

Mullin said Immigration and Customs Enforcement has made 380 arrests in Springfield since the administration moved to end protections for Haitians who had been covered by TPS.

He indicated that the enforcement campaign is not winding down.

Haitians remain at the center of the immigration debate

The situation in Springfield has become one of the most closely watched immigration issues in Ohio.

The city has a large Haitian population, with local estimates putting the number of Haitian immigrants in the area at roughly 15,000. The community grew significantly in recent years as Haitians sought safety and economic opportunities in the United States.

Temporary Protected Status had allowed eligible Haitians to remain legally in the United States and receive protection from deportation.

The Trump administration ended the protection in late July, changing the legal circumstances for thousands of Haitians who had relied on the program.

Mullin defended that decision during his Ohio visit, arguing that TPS was designed to be temporary rather than permanent.

Mullin defends ICE’s use of ankle monitors

The Homeland Security secretary also said federal officials would continue using GPS ankle monitors to track Haitians affected by the change in immigration status.

His comments came after the death of Pierre Damas Bel, a 20-year-old Haitian immigrant from Springfield.

Bel had been fitted with an ICE ankle monitor shortly after the end of TPS protections. His father said the young man had expressed emotional distress before his death earlier this week. Ohio authorities said Bel died after stepping in front of a vehicle on Interstate 70.

Mullin expressed sympathy for Bel’s family but rejected the suggestion that DHS was responsible for his death.

He said the agency had followed its procedures and noted that Bel was not in ICE custody at the time.

Mullin also indicated that Bel’s death would not lead DHS to reconsider its use of ankle monitors for Haitian immigrants whose temporary protections have ended.

Ohio’s Haitian community faces an uncertain future

The end of TPS has created uncertainty for Haitians who built lives in Ohio while protected under the program.

For those without another lawful immigration status, the expiration of TPS can expose them to removal proceedings.

Community advocates have argued that returning people to Haiti remains dangerous because of severe violence and instability in the country. The U.S. State Department has separately maintained its highest-level travel warning for Haiti, citing kidnapping, crime, terrorist activity and civil unrest.

The administration, however, has maintained that Haitians who no longer qualify for TPS should return to Haiti.

That disagreement is now playing out in communities such as Springfield, where immigration policy has direct consequences for families, employers and local institutions.

Local cooperation becomes another flashpoint

Mullin’s visit to Ohio was also focused on the expansion of cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities.

Warren County has participated in the federal 287(g) program, which allows certain local officers to perform immigration-enforcement functions under an agreement with ICE.

Mullin praised the partnership while criticizing jurisdictions that do not participate.

Cincinnati, for example, has described itself as a sanctuary city and says its police department will cooperate with federal authorities when legally required but does not conduct immigration enforcement itself.

The debate over that approach is likely to continue as federal officials expand immigration enforcement across the country.

What comes next for Haitians in Ohio?

For Haitians in Springfield and elsewhere in Ohio, the end of TPS represents a major shift from the protections many had relied on for years.

Federal officials have made clear that enforcement will continue.

Mullin’s comments suggest that ICE plans to maintain its use of monitoring technology and pursue people who no longer have legal protection to remain in the United States.

At the same time, advocates and some Ohio officials continue to raise concerns about the consequences for families, workers and communities.

The political and legal battle over the future of Haitians in the United States is therefore far from settled.

For Springfield, a city that has already spent years at the center of America’s immigration debate, the latest enforcement push is likely to keep the community under an intense national spotlight.