[Montgomery County, Ohio, February 2, 2026] – The Libertarian Party of Montgomery County condemns the decision to revoke Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitian refugees and begin ICE deportations in Springfield, Ohio.
The revocation of TPS for Haiti is a blatant violation of the law. The Immigration and Nationality Act (INA § 244) created TPS to protect people from being sent back to countries torn apart by extraordinary and temporary dangers. Yet even as Haiti’s nightmare worsens, with gangs ruling streets, over 1.4 million displaced, skyrocketing murders, rapes, kidnappings, and starvation-level hunger, Secretary Kristi Noem’s DHS yanked the designation effective February 3, 2026, hiding behind claims it’s “contrary to U.S. national interest” instead of proving conditions have actually gotten better. This move ignores the law’s clear demand for reviews tied to whether those original life-threatening problems still exist, and it dooms hundreds of thousands of hardworking Haitian TPS holders to deportation into deadly peril.
Our neighboring city, Springfield, has benefited from the increased population of Haitian refugees. They’ve fueled higher wage growth than the state average, helped reverse the city’s economic decline, started new businesses, and made Springfield great again. Now, Washington wants to deploy federal agents to Ohio, reverse these improvements, and return Springfield to the Rust Belt.
“The government’s lack of human respect for our Haitian neighbors is deeply disturbing,” said Josh Umbaugh, Chair of the Libertarian Party of Montgomery County, Ohio, and candidate for Ohio Assembly District 40. “Human beings and their families should never have their lives uprooted for shallow political theatre!”
The Libertarian Party of Montgomery County calls for the immediate reinstatement of Temporary Protected Status for our neighbors, a path to citizenship for Haitian refugees, the abolition of ICE, and the total repeal of the PATRIOT Act.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Libertarian Party of Montgomery County
montgomerycounty@lpo.org