Letter to Ohio Governor Mike DeWine on Behalf of Ohio’s Haitian Community.

Dear Governor DeWine,

We write to you with urgency regarding the Haitian population here in Ohio. Before Judgeb Ana C. Reyes blocked the current administration’s motion, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) was set to end today, 3 Feb. This deadline came in the wake of a month of unabashed brutality across the country by ICE agents, having taken the lives of States-born US citizens such as Renee Good, Alex Pretti, and Keith Porter, and decimated countless families through punitive incarceration and deportations of men, women and children. After the slanderous claims made against Haitians by the very same actors deploying the brutes at ICE to our great State and threats still looming overhead, it is imperative that you take action and sign an executive order that protects Ohio’s Haitians

The 2010 earthquake in Haiti, which collapsed the Palè Nasyonal and destroyed critical infrastructures, set the country on the path to the position it is in today. A decade of government corruption under the guise of infrastructure improvements by Jovanel Moïse’s administration, capped off with his assassination and the usurpation of Haitian democratic home rule by the UN’s backing of Ariel Henry, created the conditions for Haiti to fall to gang violence. Instead of roads being repaired, they are now blocked by barikad. Instead of sleeping comfortably in their beds at night, many are forced out of their homes as gangs burn buildings down in turf wars. Indeed, scholar of Haitian society Greg Beckett says that “Politics is no longer about administration or governance, but about what we might call ‘life itself’—the daily work of just trying to survive.” To deport the Haitian migrants who have sought refuge in our State, migrants who contribute to our communities through their presence and their economy-feuling labor, is to condemn them to Hell on Earth.

Though there is much that we disagree on, the value we see in our Haitian community members is a point of common ground. Your essay to the New York Times making your position clear: “We know that the Haitian people want the same things we all want — a good job, the chance to get a quality education and the ability to raise a family in a safe and secure environment.” You have also taken executive steps to shield the Haitian community against the harmful rhetoric and policies in the past, such as your 2024 actions to accommodate migrants by increased funding to healthcare and public safety programs.

The major protests that took place in January, which drew out thousands across the State of Ohio despite the winter storm and the state of emergency it caused, prove beyond a reasonable doubt that We the People do not approve of what ICE is doing to our communities. Be they Haitian, Ukrainian, Nepali, or of any other origin; be they in Springfield, Parma, North Hill or elsewhere — immigrants are welcome here. We thus ask that you do everything in your power as Governor to protect Haitians and other migrants across the state from ICE terror. You have consistently championed this community; please do not abandon them now

On the second page of this letter, you will find some language that can be used as the basis for an executive order. We urge you to use your power as Governor of our beautiful state and enact it as soon as possible.

Cordially,
Akron DSA
3 February, 2026.

PROPOSAL ADDRESSING THE DIGNITY, WORTH, AND SAFETY OF OHIO’S HAITIAN MIGRANTS

Author: Akron DSA

Signatories: Metro Cincinnati & NKY DSA, Northwest DSA, Columbus DSA, Dayton-Miami Valley DSA, Cleveland DSA, Mahoning Valley DSA, Akron PSL.

Date: 3 February, 2026.

WHEREAS, Ohio’s migrants are a vital part of our communities, providing labour that fuels the economy as well as cultural enrichment in the places they inhabit,

AND WHEREAS, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians and Somalis is currently under threat by the DHS, who sought to end the program on 3 February, 2026,

AND WHEREAS, federally deployed ICE agents have wreaked havoc across the country throughout the winter of 2025-2026, killing several innocents and imprisoning many more,

AND WHEREAS, the continued residency of Haitian migrants in the State of Ohio is a matter of life and death due to dangerous conditions in their country of origin,

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Mike DeWine, Governor of the State of Ohio, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of this State do hereby order and direct that:

1. All police departments in the State of Ohio deprioritize the investigation of civil offenses, particularly those resulting from the expiration of TPS.
2. All police departments in the State of Ohio restrict their collaboration with DHS agents, including but not limited to ICE, to only those involving violent criminal charges and deprioritize assisting in investigations of civil offenses, particularly those resulting from the expiration of TPS.
3. No civil servant of the State of Ohio shall share sensitive data with the DHS, such as name, address, and immigration status of an individual unless compelled by a valid federal warrant.
4. All employees of the State of Ohio shall be given a 1-page letter in both digital and physical formats detailing the characteristics of a valid federal warrant, instructions on how to engage safely with DHS while in compliance to this executive order, as well as the rights of migrant populations.
5. The State of Ohio shall take measures to ensure the safety and security of the Haitian population within its borders, including the appropriation of funds to relevant bodies and organizations such as food pantries, community transportation services, and legal assistance in regions with large Haitian populations.
6. Any and all illegal use of force by ICE agents or any other agent of the DHS within the State of Ohio, be it against migrants or citizens, even in instances which do not result in death of the targeted individual, will be thoroughly investigated by the Department of Public Safety and prosecuted within the State of Ohio to the highest degree that law permits.