As federal immigration policies continue to shift following the end of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians and Syrians, a central Ohio Haitian community leader says she has witnessed asylum seekers reporting to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officesbeing subjected to new monitoring requirements
, including ankle monitors, passport collection and, in some cases, a government tracking application.Sophia Peerelus, a community leader with the New American Cultural Center who frequently interprets for Haitian immigrants during appointments with ICE, said she has spent the past two weeks assisting community members at ICE offices in Westerville and
Cincinnati.
"Many of them are coming very worried, not knowing what to do," Peerelus said. "They don't want to have the ankle monitor."
The Dispatch contacted ICE seeking confirmation about the use of ankle monitors, passport collection and electronic monitoring requirements for Haitian immigrants in Ohio. A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees ICE, did not address those specific questions, saying only that the agency "does not discuss ongoing or future operations."
The spokesperson added that TPS "is exactly that—temporary" and encouraged immigrants to voluntarily leave the country through a federal program offering a free flight and a $2,600 stipend.
"What we would say now is it’s closing time, which means you don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here," the spokesperson said in an emailed statement referencing Semisonic's 1990s song Closing Time.
Peerelus said many of the Haitian immigrants she has assisted received letters instructing them to report to ICE facilities in Cincinnati or Westerville. During those appointments, she said, she witnessed some immigrants being fitted with ankle monitors, surrendering their passports and, in some cases, being instructed to download a mobile application used for check-ins.
"Everyone who actually goes to this interview, you never know what you're going to get," Peerelus said. "It's case by case depending on the case that they have."
Families face uncertainty as asylum cases continue
Peerelus said the uncertainty surrounding the monitoring requirements has taken an emotional toll on many of the Haitian immigrants she has accompanied to ICE appointments.
"I've seen many of them breaking down in front of me... It's been very heartbreaking."
She said she has observed many of those reporting to ICE arriving fearful and uncertain about what the monitoring requirements mean for their future immigration cases. Peerelus recalled one young man who, she said, struggled to come to terms with being fitted with an ankle monitor despite having no criminal history.
"He said, 'I did my best to respect the law here. I don't have any traffic violation. I do not commit crime,'" Peerelus recalled.
Peerelus said many of the people she has assisted have pending asylum cases and are waiting for future immigration court hearings, making the current period especially uncertain for families trying to understand what comes next.
The latest developments come as members of Ohio's Haitian community continue adjusting to changing federal immigration policies following the termination of TPS protections, with many families awaiting the outcome of pending asylum cases.
Trending reporter Amani Bayo can be reached at abayo@dispatch.com.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Haitian immigrants in Ohio face new ICE monitoring as TPS ends
