U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is preparing a major operation to locate and arrest Haitian nationals whose Temporary Protected Status (TPS) is expected to end imminently, multiple federal sources told Fox News. The expanded enforcement could begin as soon as this week.
The move follows a Supreme Court ruling that cleared the way for the Trump administration to terminate TPS for more than 300,000 Haitians. The certified judgment is expected to be transmitted to lower courts Monday, sources say.
Ohio is set to be heavily targeted, particularly Springfield, where a large Haitian community has drawn national attention during the 2024 presidential campaign. ICE leadership has been notified of the operational plans.
Last month, the Supreme Court reversed lower-court judgments that had blocked the administration’s TPS terminations for Haiti and Syria while litigation continued. TPS was first granted to Haiti after its devastating 2010 earthquake. The program allows eligible foreign nationals from countries experiencing armed conflict, natural disasters, or other extraordinary conditions to temporarily live and work legally in the United States.
The anticipated operation underscores the Trump administration’s long-running effort to end Haiti’s TPS designation, arguing the program was never meant to become a permanent form of legal status. Following the Supreme Court’s decision, White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson called the ruling “a tremendous win.”
“Today, the Supreme Court affirmed what President Trump has always maintained: temporary protected status is, by definition, temporary. It was never intended to be a pathway to permanent status or legal residency,” Jackson told Fox News Digital. “The Trump Administration continues to lawfully end the egregious abuses to our immigration system that have hurt Americans for years.”
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) General Counsel James Percival also praised the ruling. “The Court vindicates DHS yet again,” Percival wrote on X. “The T in TPS stands for TEMPORARY, yet many of these designations became de facto amnesty. This is a win for the rule of law and common sense.”
The enforcement operation comes as Springfield remains a focal point in the national immigration debate after the rapid growth of its Haitian community thrust the Ohio city into the spotlight during the 2024 campaign. Fox News has reached out to ICE and DHS for comment.
