COLUMBUS, Ohio — The city of Springfield, Ohio, made national headlines after false rumors of Haitian immigrants eating the local pets went viral on social media and repeated at the Presidential debate by Donald Trump.
On Thursday, U.S. Sen.-elect Bernie Moreno announced that despite Trump’s promise to revoke the temporary protected status, the Haitians would be allowed to stay until that status ends on Feb. 3, 2026.
Moreno addressed questions from reporters at the Ohio Republican Party’s headquarters in Columbus, stating, “They’re under temporary protected status. That status is good until February of ’26. That’s the law. We’re going to respect that. We’re not going to change that.”
According to online news outlet Cleveland, he said that companies that employ the Haitians should have been making plans for their departure all along, knowing the temporary protected status would expire.
Currently, an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 legal immigrants are in the small town of Springfield.
Before the November election, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine expressed his worry about the area losing some of its recent economic gains if the Haitians were deported.
