Feds appear to arrest hundreds in Springfield immigration crackdown

Immigration officials have stepped up enforcement in Springfield, following the expiration of Temporary Protected Status for Haitians, but the depth of their efforts is unclear.

During a recent visit to Warren County to promote U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s cooperation with local law enforcement, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said officials have arrested hundreds and that the agency’s efforts remain ongoing.

“We’ve made 380 arrests in Springfield,” he said, according to WVXU, Cincinnati’s NPR station. “We’re going to continue to push.”

Last month, Springfield Mayor Rob Rue acknowledged that ICE agents had begun operating in the city after federal officials told his office they were conducting enforcement activities in Springfield, across Ohio and nationwide.

In response to a request from Ohio.News, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said the agency would not discuss ongoing operations.

“Every day, DHS is conducting law enforcement activities across the country to keep Americans safe,” the spokesperson said. “DHS does not discuss ongoing or future operations.”

Federal authorities were empowered to act after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the Trump administration could end the TPS protections for Haitians and Ukrainians. The protections for Ukrainians are set to end in October.

However, by declining to comment on its efforts in Ohio, the agency has allowed critics of President Donald Trump’s immigration policy to set the narrative. The mainstream media has taken the bait, hook, line and sinker.

Earlier this month, the ACLU of Ohio filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of a Springfield resident, claiming Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers subjected him to “menacing and intimidation.”

On Friday, Sept. 4, a federal judge issued a temporary restraining order, saying that Sean Moorman’s claim was likely to succeed. A hearing is set for Sept. 16.

Separately, 20-year-old Pierre Damas Bel, a Haitian immigrant who came from Haiti to Springfield in 2024, died by apparent suicide.

His father has told reporters that Bel received an ankle monitor from ICE and later called him to express emotional distress. Bel took his life shortly afterward.

“It breaks my heart for the parents,” Mullin said, according to the WVXU report. “But we were following our procedures; we did our job. What happened when he went home… he wasn’t in our custody. We’re not responsible for that.”

Ohio-based author Joshua Lisec previously told Ohio.News that he interviewed residents and conducted what he says is the first-ever professional poll of Springfield residents to understand the landscape and has chronicled his findings in a book, “Haitians of Springfield.” He said that what he found was entirely different from the media portrayals.