On Friday evening (Aug. 14), Philomene Philostin, a local youth pastor, business owner and nonprofit leader, stood on the street corner outside Springfield, Ohio’s City Hall, crying out in Haitian Creole. Pastor Fontil Daity, a Haitian immigrant who leads a local Pentecostal Haitian church, interpreted in English: “Haitians! Haitians! … We cannot take it anymore. We ask for God in heaven to hear our cries!”
About 75 people gathered around them in the sweltering heat, many holding signs that read, “Love your neighbor” — a reference to the biblical command to love one’s neighbor as oneself. Philostin told RNS she initiated the gathering in response to a new flurry of ICE raids in the city starting the day before. The peaceful protest wove together prayers and testimonies from community members, lawyers and faith leaders. Daity, singing in Haitian Creole, then in English, led attendees in the hymn “Precious Lord Take My Hand.”
For many of the more than 10,000 Haitians in the city of about 58,000, their faith in God — and the support of local immigrants’ rights organizers and faith leaders — is what’s sustaining them as they reckon with the end of Temporary Protected Status. Many of Springfield’s Haitians attend evangelical, Catholic, mainline and Pentecostal churches across the city. And in the months of dread and uncertainty before a federal judge cleared the way on Aug. 4 for the termination of Haiti’s TPS protections, faith leaders and congregations from within and beyond the Haitian community have emerged as pivotal actors in the support networks for affected families. Now, those networks are adapting in real time to respond to what they see as a human-engineered spiritual, moral and humanitarian crisis, especially as ICE activity stepped up over the weekend. A DHS spokesperson said they would not disclose details of its operations.
That crisis had a face early Friday morning. Charles Beaubrun Ardouin, a Haitian immigrant and Springfield resident who spoke at the protest Friday evening, was driving through the city dropping at least five other Haitian men off after their nightshift at a local automobile factory when he was stopped by several ICE vehicles, he told media.
Ardouin, a U.S. citizen, said about 10 agents — most wearing masks — demanded identification for everyone in the vehicle. After detaining the other men, ICE agents reportedly told Ardouin they would be taken to Butler County Jail in Hamilton, Ohio. Ardouin said all the men have pending asylum cases.
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“These people are coming to the United States of America for freedom. They’re coming for work. All they want is due process,” Ardouin told media. “The first time I came to the United States of America, I felt freedom. But now, I (feel) fear.”
Pro-immigrant faith leaders had long been bracing for a Minneapolis-style ICE crackdown against the Haitian community in Springfield. Instead, ICE has shifted tactics: Beginning just over a week after the termination of TPS for the country’s 330,000 Haitian recipients became enforceable on Aug. 5, ICE has conducted several rapid, small-scale ICE detentions. And since late July, ICE has sent many Haitian residents in Springfield letters ordering them to report to the Blue Ash ICE office over an hour away, near Cincinnati. There, many former TPS holders, all of whom came to the U.S. legally seeking safety from disastrous conditions in Haiti, have reported being given the choice between self-deporting with $2,600, or being released with ankle monitors — which many in Springfield referred to as “shackles” — and a restriction to limit travel to within a 75-mile radius of their address.
Without work permits, the Haitian residents are struggling to pay for rent and groceries. Some are hiding in their homes, too afraid of ICE to shop at local businesses or attend church. Others have had their drivers’ licenses expire or become nonrenewable. Parents are filling out legal paperwork to give power of attorney to neighbors and friends in case they get separated from their children, especially those born in the U.S. who have legal citizenship. This weekend, local Haitian leaders shared reports that one, possibly two, Haitian immigrants had committed suicide. Media outlets were unable to independently verify those claims.
“Jesus says, ‘Come unto me, all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.’ And all that we can do is to go to Him right now, because we don’t have any other choice,” faith leader and executive director of the Haitian Supporter Center, Viles Dorsainvil, told media.
On Friday afternoon, hours after the ICE raid Ardouin witnessed, staff and volunteers met with clients at the support center located in a Church of the Nazarene church. Beneath papered-over windows, boxes of diapers and food donations — Cheerios, black beans, ramen noodles — crowded one corner of the main room. In a three-hour span, nearly a dozen Haitians stopped in seeking help. One woman asked what her next steps should be after her cousin was detained. Several people arrived with ankle monitors, looking for legal assistance with next steps.
As desperate as the situation has become in Springfield, Haitian community members do not want to return to Haiti. “They choose the ankle shackles because the whole world, they know going back to Haiti is being placed in a death sentence,” said the support center’s administrative assistant, James Pepitho Fleurijean. Armed gangs control most of Port-au-Prince and are expanding their reach into neighboring regions. Gang violence in Haiti has resulted in over 2,000 deaths in this year alone. “There are so many people that went back to Haiti, and when they get there, and you know the rest of the story: People have been kidnapped, people have been killed, young ladies have been raped,” Fleurijean said.
In his office, Dorsainvil, a former TPS holder who moved to the U.S. from Haiti in 2020, sat at his desk answering a stream of phone calls and messages. He described living in Springfield as being in an “open jail” where every moment is tainted by “psychological fear.”
“Here we live one day at a time,” said Dorsainvil, also an elder at Central Christian Church and a pastor who served in Haiti and Jamaica. “We just can’t predict what tomorrow will look like. So the day we see is … the day we live, and going to bed, asking God to protect us, to guide us and give us wisdom.”
Among pro-immigrant organizers, faith leaders and volunteers, active Signal and WhatsApp chats have become part of the new normal as they respond to evolving ICE tactics. Springfield Neighbors United, a local nonprofit that, though not faith-based, is run by volunteers with many religious beliefs, has coordinated food and diaper drives, hygiene bags and rides for Haitians going to immigration court. They’ve teamed up with St. Vincent de Paul, a Catholic nonprofit, to fill out passports for newborns and children who are U.S. citizens. The groups are also helping Haitians assign power of attorney to U.S. citizens in case they are separated from their children. Now, they’re starting a program to support families left behind after a loved one is detained.
“I think spiritually and morally, I mean, we have to respond,” said Norm Horstman, who, along with his wife, Lou Ann, is a retired cradle Catholic “in exile” from the church over its stance on LGBTQ+ issues. The couple has been heavily involved with Springfield Neighbors United since 2024. “We don’t have a choice.”
Potential family separation is a major concern. The over 1,200 U.S.-born Haitian children and infants under age 4 could be separated from detained parents. Earlier this year, the Ohio government awarded the local child welfare department and a Christian nonprofit, the Nehemiah Foundation, a grant to form a respite care network. Tim Voltz, an elder at a multicultural neighborhood church called Champion City that’s roughly 30% Haitian, was tapped by the Nehemiah Foundation to recruit families from local churches. Voltz estimated that about 20 vetted families had been equipped to provide short-term childcare until kids could be reunited with family.
“If you have either the possibility of being separated from your children or taking your children back to a country that they’ve never been to, that is violent … I don’t know how you make that choice,” said Voltz.
Faith leaders are also responding to the new reality of having parishioners outfitted with ankle monitors. On Saturday, the Rev. Michelle Boomgaard, rector at Christ Episcopal Church, met with one such parishioner to discuss next steps.
“I can’t say I’m fine,” the parishioner said, standing in the church vestibule after greeting Boomgaard. “It’s impossible to be fine.”
When Boomgaard asked if his employer knew what was going on, the parishioner, whose job involves one-on-one patient care, said while his employer understood, the patients he cares for might not.
“Coming with an ankle monitor means … being a criminal. I don’t think anybody will be happy to be in a room at a hospital and have a criminal taking care of you,” he said.
Many volunteers told media they are disturbed by the level of hatred aimed at the Haitians as well as those who try to aid them. Several faith leaders said they have had bomb threats at their churches and nonprofit centers. Recent social media videos depicting the Haitians’ suffering are often flooded with vitriolic and racist comments.
Springfield’s Haitian population first made headlines during the 2024 presidential election, when Donald Trump and JD Vance spread falsehoods about migrants eating pets. That year, neo-Nazi and white supremacist groups descended on Springfield, distributing racist flyers and staging protests at City Hall and in front of the mayor’s home. In an ongoing lawsuit, the city of Springfield says the leader of the neo-Nazi group Blood Tribe took credit on social media for initially spreading those debunked claims about Haitian migrants.
“I’ve never quite understood how any human being can look at the suffering of another human being and say, ‘Let’s add to that,’” reflected Boomgaard.
Often, supporting Springfield Haitians is an exercise in being an antidote to the hate — and recognizing people’s humanity. Carl Ruby, pastor of Central Christian Church and founder of the faith-based pro-immigrant coalition G92, served communion at Blue Ash last week to Haitians going in to receive ankle monitors as a reminder that they are part of the body of Christ.
Roughly 40 Haitians have joined his church in the last year, he told media, thanks to the church’s reputation for aiding that community. G92, which Central Christian is part of, has hosted rapid response trainings, coordinated press conferences and organized churches willing to offer sanctuary to Haitian members. Ruby told media he is haunted by what could await his congregants if they are forced back to Haiti.
“For me, that’s not just a hypothetical,” he said, referring to the sexual violence in Haiti. “I put faces with that. I think of children who I baptized, and who have been members of my church, who could be put into that situation.”
Some churches that had flourished, thanks to Haitians, are now shrinking amid safety concerns. On Sunday morning, Daity met with media in his empty church. Eighty people had once filled the pews on Sunday mornings, he told media. That morning, one parishioner had come, but Daity sent the person home when he got a call notifying him that ICE was in the neighborhood after reportedly detaining Haitians at a nearby Walmart.
“Sunday used to be a sacred day in America, but here we are,” he said, wearing a charcoal suit in the stained glass-windowed sanctuary. “Now we’re arresting people, chasing people on Sunday like a runaway slave.”
That morning, volunteers and organizers, many connected with local faith groups, patrolled Springfield’s streets, photographing ICE vehicles. Meanwhile, worship at Voltz’ church, Champion City, seemed to carry an added weight. After the worship set in the small sanctuary ended, the congregation erupted in a spontaneous rendition of the song “10,000 Reasons.”
At a microphone near the front, the church’s Haitian Creole interpreter led the congregation in singing the first verse: “Whatever may pass and whatever lies before me,” he sang, “let me be singing when the evening comes.”
Kathryn Post is a reporter for Religion News Service based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
49 Responses
Current US government is completely vested in striking at the Imago Dei present in all of us 😇💯
Thank you for this article. Please do a follow-up on trusted sites where those of us out of the area can make donations, and tell us how we can help.
As a Canadian, I have long acknowledged that the U.S. bill of rights, written in the late 1700’s was so far ahead of its time. (Granted, applicable if you were If you were white and male. ) But the U. S. can no longer call itself the”land of the free”. Wake up America you are on a dangerous slippery slope. Ankle bracelets now but who will be targeted next?? It’s not IF but WHEN…
Being a Canadian I suggest you clean up your own backyard before taking on America.
Send them back. This country can’t afford to care for every third worlder.
Our country is close to 40 trillion in debt, Joe Biden let in close to 20 million illegals, all direct to welfare.
Word to all the U.S. churches, how about helping the millions of destitute Americans in places like Appalachia and elsewhere?
I’m sorry but immigrant costs are drop in the bucket compared to the trillions of debt accrued during this current administration. Wars, and rumors of wars is what is costing us, and the rich want us to believe it’s because of people who want to strive for a better life here. The DEI cuts from Doge AI sleuthing were a drop in the bucket and misguided. Please do your research.
“Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love Him? But you have dishonored the poor man. Are you not the rich the one who oppress you, and the one who drag you into court? Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable name by which you were called?” – James 2:5-7 ESV
David – you are conflating issues. These are not “illegals Joe Biden let it” (our immigration problem is MUCH more complex than that and started WAY before 2021, but I’ll stick with your words). These are people who are here legally.
God is also no respecter of persons; He does not “favor” Americans over Haitians, nor does He grant “extra favor” for helping any one nationality over another. The ground is level at the foot of the cross. We are all created in His image, American, Haitian, and any other “third world” country too.
There are churches serving their respective communities – also in Appalachia; I presume you are donating to them to support them?
Let’s also make sure we take a step back and look at the greater rich vs poor dynamic. Haitians are NOT “stealing” something that poor Americans “deserve”. When we think like that, we start fighting over small pieces of the pie rather than looking at the HUGE pieces of the pie that are under the control of very few (e.g., one percenters). You ever think to ask why Elon Musk – as a trillionaire – is spending BILLIONS on shiny toys, fathering dozens of children, buying favor with politicians and funding egotistical ventures instead of helping the poor in Appalachia?
Thank you, Marin! It seems like we forget that there are two kingdoms. The Kingdom of God and the kingdom(s) of Caesar. In my town, I am personally in touch with a Haitian congregation. And am seeing how this is playing out on a personal and congregational level… among our brothers and sisters. I wish people like David Cavall first befriend the Haitian (or other similarly affected) communities and get things firsthand.
I’m crushingly disappointed by what’s happening to disenfranchised communities. And just as disappointed by how casually indifferent the Evangelical Industrial Complex is to another’s pain and suffering. It seems like many in the Evangelical Complex have unhitched their wagons from Jesus Christ’s teachings and Christ-likeness. Ideology and the “laws of the land” seem to determine the standard of “righteousness” rather than Jesus and the Bible.
“Two thousand years ago Jesus Christ said that His Kingdom was not of this world, yet His followers have been trying to prove Him wrong ever since.” ~Coleman Luck
“You pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness.” ~Jesus
David, our country cannot afford to NOT devise a path to citizenship for most or all of the Haitians.
They are not illegals; they entered legally. Perhaps they received some public assistance upon arrival, but now they hold jobs and pay taxes like other Americans do. Many nursing homes and assisted living facilities in Ohio rely heavily on Haitian-born employees to operate.
What part of temporary status do you not understand?
This is a straw man. The millions in Appalachia and elsewhere… as christians, they deserve our sympathy and help (Matthew 25:31-45). But their families aren’t being split, their legal status isn’t being stripped without due process, by the whims and fancies of government. And they aren’t being forcibly separated from their children.
I find it ironic that the US wouldn’t exist without taking away someone else’s land and resources on a continental scale. Without regard to what they thought. Simply because we had the power to do so. By breaking 350+ treaties with indigenous people. Then we argue as if what is being done as somehow righteous in god’s sight. I do not support or condone uncontrolled illegal immigration. Neither do I condone the mass infliction of misery in the name of the law.
“There is no greater tyranny than that which is perpetrated under the shield of the law and in the name of justice.” ~Charles-Louis de Secondat, baron Montesquieu
“With what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.” ~Jesus
Why do you liberals always think it’s time for a history lesson ?
I don’t care what happened hundreds of years ago , I care about the future of our country now , about the futures of our children and grandchildren now .
Since you insist on going back in time , you may recall a place called the Promised Land and a God who led the charge to take it away from its inhabitants and give it to people of a foreign land .
If you explore it further , Bible history says part of the curse and /or judgement is to lose your land to foreigners .
Look what happened to Europe . Its likely going Sharia and already has in some parts .
It might be smart to hope and pray for ICE and Donald Trump and recognize that we may be pulling back from the brink of self destruction , probably courtesy of the prayers of your Pentecostal brothers and sisters .
And its a good time to pray for revival lest the wrong people get in power and change things back again .
Theo, consider this.
The “conservatives” of Jesus’ time considered Him “liberal” (Mark 2:23-27, Matthew 15:1-2) for violating their “traditions”. But when it came to keeping God’s Law (Matthew 15:3-9), who was “conservative” and who was “liberal”?
Terms like “conservative” and “liberal” are largely meaningless because they can be crafted to fit whatever people want them to mean. Christ-likeness should be our goal. Whether that makes us “conservative” or “liberal” to others, is largely irrelevant.
The Bible doesn’t peddle ideology, it presents Jesus.
That said, I find many who identify as conservative, too “liberal” with the Bible, especially Jesus’ teachings, for my liking.
“You pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith.” ~Jesus
About what’s happening in Europe… God gave the Canaanites (Genesis 15:16) 400+ years, and the Amalekites (1 Samuel 15:1-2, Acts 13:18-20) 450+ years to repent and correct. God says, “For the day of the Lord upon all the nations is near; as you have done, it shall be done to you; your reward shall return upon your own head” (Obadiah 1:15).
Which countries in Western Europe are facing the most issues? Former colonial powers. How long did Colonialism last? Are we seeing reverse colonialism today? What if Europe and the US are facing a spiritual (judgment) issue? If I’m right, then secular, socio-political solutions will have little effect. Christians espousing draconian solution (rather than Nineveh-like repentance and Daniel 9 like intercession) may actually be doubling down on the sins of the past.
“By their fruit, you shall know them” ~Jesus
Theo –
“Why do YOU liberals…” “YOUR Pentecostal brothers and sisters”….where is this divisive “you vs me”, “us vs them” coming from? Aren’t we ALL believers united at the foot of the cross?
While I can go on with the importance of understanding history so that we understand HOW we got here AND so we don’t repeat it, but since you don’t find that important, let’s talk about this country’s future: I presume you’re aware we are now more than $40 TRILLION in debt – much of which has climbed under our current administration despite promises of cuts (what happened to all the DOGE money that was found) – NOT due to the Haitians but due to starting and/or funding unnecessary wars? Are you paying attention to our leadership praising the likes North Korea (a dictatorship), due to being “upset” with South Korea (a democracy) disagreeing? If Sharia law scares or threatens you, go look at what’s gone on in North Korea and ask if it’s wise for our future to be linked up with them.
Scripture also repeatedly tells us how to treat the foreigners among us – both in the OT (law of Moses) and new (the words of Christ). Our Constitution also guarantees due process to all who are on our soil. That means right now, our current leadership is violating the laws of BOTH scripture and our nation – so, yes, I agree that we should be concerned about the wrong people being in power. And yes, we need to pray for them, united as Christians, not with all this divisive language.
Your prayers may be answered as it looks like Trump is going to suspend the midterms and keep the enemy within from finishing the job of uniting America into the New World Order / One World government .
Keep praying .
“Scripture also repeatedly tells us how to treat the foreigners among us – both in the OT (law of Moses) and new (the words of Christ)”
If you check your Church history you will see that God did allow foreigners to join up with the children of Israel but ONLY if they were all in on the program and were not going to contaminate things with their own rules , values and gods .
We have too many people who’s bellies are here while their hearts are far from us and don’t mind abusing our hospitality and will rob us blind and this is a seemingly acceptable prosperity gospel but let an American Christian dare to believe and apply the Bible teachings to raise themselves out of poverty and this is considered greedy .
“But wisdom is justified of all her children”
Luke 7:35
Jesus said to go out into the world not bring the world to you .
We can send aid to help these people in their own countries provided we make sure that the money is going to help them .
You leading a brigade into a Sharia country would be a good experience for you .
“We can send aid to help these people in their own countries provided we make sure that the money is going to help them”. That COULD be a start. But:
Many of the challenges facing these countries are more than monetary. (Several of these challenges the US played a part in creating, but that’s a whole other thread.)
And when we send aid, the first complaint is how we should keep it here for Americans only.
Weren’t we just cheering the Trump administration freezing foreign assistance and dismantling organizations like USAID (that made up over 75% of foreign aid)?
“Weren’t we just cheering the Trump administration freezing foreign assistance and dismantling organizations like USAID (that made up over 75% of foreign aid)?”
You’ll have to do your own research on all the fraud involved in USAID , and you will just have to face the reality that practically speaking it is just not possible for us to save the world and not destroy ourselves at the same time nor is it possible for any other country to assume such a role either .
Burt – You mention: “practically speaking it is just not possible for us to save the world and not destroy ourselves at the same time nor is it possible for any other country to assume such a role either”. The really sad part is knowing the role the US played in causing the conditions of some of these countries we are now above “saving”.
I’ll tell you why “liberals” always think it’s “time for a history lesson”:
There is a certain contingent of people in this country who believe themselves to be the “good guys”. Not just that they think this of themselves, they think GOD believes them to be the “good guys”.
However, these people are craven, opportunistic, self-serving, unprincipled, thieves and robbers. They do whatever is best for them in the particular moment, and then retroactively claim that it was “right” and “just” and “fair” and “good” that they did it.
They will steal from others and then claim that the others trying to get their things back are robbing from THEM. They will kill and murder others and then claim that they are passionate about “Law” and “punishment for the commitment of crimes”.
These are people who, right this second, say that if they steal from others, it’s justified “conquest” and that they stole it “fair and square”, but when one tries to take from them, they treat it as the gravest offense.
Thusly the “history lesson” is attempt to shine a mirror to these people’s faces and HOPEFULLY save them from the fires of hell.
We are trying to get those people out of the country now or else our place in history will be as the generation that lost America , as if we didn’t screw things up bad enough already .
Time to stop living in the world of euryudite philosophy and start living in the real one .
Endless babbling isn’t going to save us .
This article is misleading between the word immigrants and illegals. Immigrants have rights here. My grandparents were immigrants then citizens. Illegals have no rights here since they entered the country illegally.
And these Haitians entered the country legally.
(Also, as soon as anyone hits American soil, they have the right to due process, regardless of immigration status. Our Constitution guarantees this, and the SCOTUS has confirmed this multiple times).
I don’t think Scotus anticipated the treasonous conduct of the Biden administration when making those judgements.
What we suffered was not immigration but invasion .
Due to those special circumstances we have to adjust accordingly .
Bill – that’s not how this works. Due process means following the law (until that law is changed), not making random shifts or adjustments; it literally means that the government cannot act “at random”. SCOTUS has addressed this over multiple generations of the court (as our immigration trends and laws have shifted several times throughout the generations). Until the laws are changed and/or the SCOTUS rules otherwise, we must STILL treat all who are on our land fairly and consistently according to our laws.
I specifically don’t understand how this is up for debate given the Haitians arrived legally, and according to the article, are merely asking for due process (that we follow what our own Constitution says).
“(Also, as soon as anyone hits American soil, they have the right to due process, regardless of immigration status. Our Constitution guarantees this, and the SCOTUS has confirmed this multiple times).”
Per AI:
“That’s broadly correct, with an important nuance: the Fifth Amendment protects “persons,” not only citizens, so noncitizens physically present in the United States generally have due-process rights. The Supreme Court has repeatedly recognized this, including in Yick Wo v. Hopkins and Wong Wing v. United States.
But due process does not always mean the same procedures available to citizens. Immigration law distinguishes between people already inside the country and those seeking initial admission at the border or an official port of entry. Under the “entry fiction” and related border doctrines, noncitizens seeking admission may receive more limited procedural protections, even if they are physically detained on U.S. soil. Geography alone therefore isn’t always decisive; legal status and the nature of the government action matter too.”
Thank you, Andrew, for proving that the Haitians who have been here legally under temporary protected status (the article indicates they not at port of entry trying to get here) are correct in demanding due process.
It is their constitutional right.
Speaking the truth is not “proving” something, it is or it isn’t.
The second paragraph that states Immigration Law is not the same as Citizen Law, there is a different standard of “rights” between citizens, those not in country, and those in country. Hardly anyone here uses references when making statements, and including them would help the conversation
3 quick differences of “rights” of C vs Non:
Due Process Rights:
C Yes, fully protected
N Yes, protected under the same constitutional principles
Legal Hearings:
C Guaranteed
N Guaranteed, but access may be limited
Right to Counsel:
C Right to a lawyer if needed
N No right to a court-appointed attorney; must secure their own legal representation
Andrew – you just keep showing that these Haitians are deserving of due process. They get to discuss their case in front of a neutral party, however secured. You can’t just change their status on Tuesday and sic ICE on them on Wednesday.
For the sake of having an informed public , here’s another side of the story not seen on your evening news :
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9dRsC25sIr0
I don’t think they watched your video bro . Even if they did they don’t get it .
Nick Chambers,
So? Have Stu and Megyn gotten to know any Haitians? I have. Stu talks about Indians assimilating while Haitians don’t. As someone who has friends in both communities, I fail to see how Indian immigrants assimilate any better or different from Haitians. Also, if we go back in time, check out how long Italians, Poles, Scandinavians and others have taken to assimilate into society. Sometimes up to two generations.
Here is an (albeit dated) analysis of Haitian crime rates in the US.
https://www.cato.org/blog/haitian-crime-united-states-what-does-evidence-say
Without condoning crime or the misery of victims and survivors, Megyn’s kind of selective facting is designed to stir up emotions and suppress critical thinking and logic. Leading to stereotyping and demonization of population subgroups. And infliction of misery on innocent people.
How is Haitian crime any different than any other crime?
We have a Legal system to deal with criminals, legal or illegal. If administering justice against a criminal includes deportation, I doubt anyone will object to that.
If Haitian crime is the issue as many are making it out to be, the data seems to indicate that this is a smokescreen for a hidden agenda. The crime rate (incarceration per 100,000) for illegal Haitians is 62% of the crime rate for all native born Americans. The crime rate for all Haitians (legal and illegal) is 28% of native born Americans. Currently there are 292M native born Americans. Currently there are 859,000 Haitians (all statuses) in the US. So, what percentage of total crime is committed by Haitians?
“Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.” ~Jesus
julie why is it right to expose the false ideas of the tv preachers but not the false ideas of the so called mainline protestant churches so often touted by religious news service
We generally don’t wade into doctrinal issues because we’re a journalism outlet, not a discernment blog. We might note that someone is a prosperity preacher, for example, but we don’t argue their theology.
What is TPS?
According to AI, it encompasses the following points:
1) It is granted for a limited time (usually 6 to 18 months) and can be extended or terminated depending on ongoing country conditions evaluated by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
2) TPS is strictly a temporary safety measure; it does not lead to lawful permanent residency (a green card) or U.S. citizenship.
3) Beneficiaries can apply for an Employment Authorization Document (EAD) to work legally and may qualify for travel authorization.
If AI is correct, TPS can be revoked at the whim of DHS. Once revoked, those benefitting from the designation are no longer provided TPS protections and can be deported at any time. In other words, they become “illegal” residents of the United States without those protections.
Amen .
And here’s a sane and what I would have to believe heaven approved policy regarding immigration being that its my belief that God scrambled our languages and appointed us to different countries in the first place via the Tower of Babel as way to contain evil in the earth .
https://tinyurl.com/48nypkhc
When I was growing up, we used to sing Micah 6:8 in the KJV. ” He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” I’ve found that verse to be a clear, straightforward standard for measuring what is heaven approved.
If that’s the case, why did Europeans disregard their pre-appointed boundaries (Acts 17:26) and overrun other parts of the globe? Is it okay for Europeans to invade North America and Australia (among others), but not okay for others to “invade”?
Quite right, David.
Also, why do some American Christians tout that a nation’s leaders are appointed by God, but have no problem overthrowing foreign governments, demanding “regime change”, installing puppet leaders to surreptitiously rule over other governments from the shadows, or even using economics to intentionally destabilize a foreign nation to intentionally keep them weak in service to the interest of the America?
Some Christians just cannot bring themselves to read the Bible in a way in which they are not the main character.
“The Bible is a book about how to get and stay rich! And anything you do in service to that is God approved!”
The people are allowed to vote in the wrong people if they so desire . Satan has influence in this world also and he certainly convinced a lot of religious people that Jesus needed to be crucified .
People can also pray in the right person to be in charge as well .
https://tinyurl.com/ymz4nar8
God is the one who knows who is the right person for that job and we should be praying He gets those people in there ,not for our personal preferences .
We should also use the brains God gave us to vote for the party platform that doesn’t describe Christian values as religious bigotry as one party does today .
Wes:
“The people are allowed to vote in the wrong people if they so desire . Satan has influence in this world also and he certainly convinced a lot of religious people that Jesus needed to be crucified .”
The idea that there is a “wrong” person to be in charge and a “right” person to be in charge is a fundamentally flawed premise.
It’s like when Christians go to McDonalds, order a XL Big Mac Combo and then ask God to “Bless this and make it nourishing to my body.”
Democracy isn’t in the Bible. Capitalism isn’t in the Bible. America isn’t in the Bible. Oil Companies aren’t in the Bible. Data Centers aren’t in the Bible. Gun rights aren’t in the Bible.
When you (Not you personally, anyone) decide from YOURSELF 99% of what you think America should be and then go “okay God, I’ll vote for ‘your man’ to preside over my plans and institutions.” You’re no different than the person commanding God to transmute a vanilla shake into a nourishing meal. “This is 99% MY plans and desires and now I want you to come in and make it spiritually approved.” Who says God wants anything to do with the idol we have created called “America”?
If God says to Americans, “Okay. You want to have a Christian Nation? Awesome. Sell all that you have, give it to the poor, and come follow Me.” How many Americans do you think would say, “Right away!”? Or would they say, “Heyyyyyy! You’re not acting like the God I was told about!!”
” When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn.”
Proverbs 29:2
Sounds like there’s good and bad choices to me Brandon .
You need to stop telling yourself you have better ideas than God .
America has lost it’s way and if we don’t find our way back to Him its lights out for us .
“” When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn.”
Proverbs 29:2
Sounds like there’s good and bad choices to me Brandon .
You need to stop telling yourself you have better ideas than God .
America has lost it’s way and if we don’t find our way back to Him its lights out for us .”
You are reading that incorrectly, Wes. There are two TYPES of people, among many. Righteous and wicked. This is stated throughout the Bible. (How does your binary interpretation grapple with King Saul who was both righteous AND wicked?) There are also times when there are NO Righteous people to be found. This is stated throughout the Bible. God makes no promise to put a “Godly man” and a “Wicked man” on the ballot in every American election in a game of “guess who I want to win your election”.
You need to stop telling yourself that your political ideas are tantamount to and inextricable from God’s righteousness.
Christianity is to be a “Little Christ”. To be an imitator of Jesus. “If you love me, you will keep my commands.”
Yes, we have a right to revoke TPS. But if you read the article, what the Haitians are asking for is DUE PROCESS as they learn of their status, which is guaranteed by our Constitution (fifth amendment). That means notifying them in a fair way according to the rules stated in our own laws (not randomly), notifying them BEFORE taking action (not suddenly sending ICE in), AND providing them a chance to go before a judge or neutral party to discuss their case and inform them of their options.
The issue with all of this is HOW it is being done, not THAT it is being done at all. A lot of the accusations and debates on this are conflating the two. Those of us who are alarmed at what is happening in cases like this aren’t “for open borders” or “anti-ICE” or whatever other trendy catchphrase is thrown at us; we are for the Constitution being properly followed in matters of immigration.
Crack on, Marin. I love reading your sane and thoughtful replies.
I just read something the other day that said we have now taken in one third of the entire country of Mexico .
Mexico is ranked the 2nd most dangerous country on earth .
In the real world that means we have also taken in the very serious tendencies that have led to their current conditions and ultimately means we will have to find another place to live .
That’s how the fallen world really works .
Yes I understand that are decent law abiding Mexicans too ,but there is a huge difference between running a country and running a homeless shelter and the ramifications are nothing to be taken lightly .
I did a bit of looking and 1/3 seems vastly over-stated. The actual number is closer to 1/10. (14 mil out of 130 mil.)
While I’m not for illegal immigration, I’m from Texas. Texas is a state made out of territory that used to belong to Mexico. In the 1820s, Americans from the north renounced their American citizenship and moved to Mexico in order to buy cheap land. The expectation was that they would become Mexican citizens, adopt Catholicism, integrate with Mexican culture and, later, give up slavery. The “Texicans” wanted to do none of these things. They just wanted the land. Mexico outlawed immigration from the US, and the Americans continued to migrate illegally into Mexico. Eventually Mexico tried to clamp down on the Texicans, and this triggered the Texas Civil War. Texas held back the Mexican Army and declared themselves the Republic of Texas. But Texas was too broke from the war and fighting Natives to effectively run a country and they eventually asked the United States if they could come back as The Lone Star State.
Texas then allied with the other “Slave Holding States” (Their words.) and fought a Civil War against America.
They lost.
With the abolition of slavery, they had to do work themselves instead of making slaves do it. Or… they could hire illegal immigrant Mexicans to do it cheaply.
On a normal drive to work, I will pass no less than 150 illegal immigrants filling up gas tanks to go mow American’s lawns and driving 6-people-in-a-car to go clean American’s houses. They’re not hiding.
The dirty secret of the South is that illegal immigration exists because the Southern economy runs on it.
Thank you, Brandon! As a native Texan (who had to study all of this as part of a required Texas history course), it baffles me how the narrative has gotten so twisted to somehow vilify the Mexicans that we clearly took advantage of, robbed, and INVADED.
Yet we try to use that language against them now….it’s downright laughable.
Carl, it seems like there are some hasty generalization going on here. And even if everything said is factual, the data contradicts your conclusions.
Here’s an (albeit dated) study on national crime and incarceration rates by population subgroup in the US:
https://www.cato.org/blog/haitian-crime-united-states-what-does-evidence-say
Here’s a DOJ study just for the state of Texas:
https://docs.house.gov/meetings/JU/JU01/20250122/117827/HHRG-119-JU01-20250122-SD004.pdf
The Cato Institute study shows that nationwide immigration crime/incarceration rates (legal and illegal) is still 25% lower than US-born citizens.
The DOJ’s own study in Texas, a border state mind you, shows that “undocumented immigrants are arrested at LESS THAN HALF the rate of native-born U.S. citizens for violent and drug crimes and a QUARTER THE RATE OF NATIVE-BORN CITIZENS for property crimes”. (caps mine)
In a nutshell, the data points to US-born citizens being more of a crime problem than any other subgroup. Of course, if more current data points in a different direction, I’m open to that as well.
If undocumented immigrants commit crimes in the US, deportation may be part of the administration of justice. I doubt that people advocating for the humane treatment of immigrants oppose this.
However, indiscriminate deportation of a people subgroup while claiming to reduce crime, is in itself discrimination and racism. Such rhetoric seems like a smokescreen to hide nefarious agendas. And those who carry such sentiments and support such actions have the propensity to justify other injustices in society.
“Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.” ~Jesus