Dewine Comments On Trump’s Immigration Policy

Governor Mike DeWine is sounding the alarm—but not about border security, national sovereignty, or the rule of law. No, the Republican leader of Ohio is more concerned that the end of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitian migrants might create job openings in Springfield. That’s right—he’s worried there will be too many jobs available for Americans.

Last month, the Department of Homeland Security announced that TPS for tens of thousands of Haitians will expire in February 2026. This was never meant to be a permanent arrangement—it’s called temporary for a reason.

Yet, for nearly a decade, thousands of Haitian nationals have lived in the U.S. under a protection program originally intended as a short-term response to the devastating 2010 earthquake in Haiti. That emergency is long past, and DHS is now urging those individuals to self-deport before ICE steps in.

DeWine, however, sees an economic crisis brewing—not from unchecked migration or illegal labor, but from the potential lack of it. In an interview with Ohio press, DeWine lamented the impending job vacancies, claiming Springfield’s economic progress will vanish if Haitian TPS holders are deported.

But let’s take a step back. According to Breitbart News, an influx of 10,000 to 20,000 Haitian migrants into Springfield—many of whom entered under TPS or through Biden’s broader open-border policies—has already overwhelmed the city’s resources. Schools are stretched thin. Housing is tight. Social services are cracking under the weight. Yet, instead of acknowledging these pressures, DeWine is worried about labor shortages?

Let’s be clear: TPS is not a pathway to permanent residency. It’s not a work visa. It’s a stopgap measure for people displaced by natural disasters or political upheaval. When the crisis ends, so too should the protection. This was never supposed to be a backdoor immigration program.

The question isn’t whether Haitian migrants have worked hard or contributed to local economies. Many probably have. But legal status matters. If the rule of law is sacrificed in the name of filling jobs, then we no longer have a lawful immigration system—we have an economic loophole dressed up in humanitarian language.

DeWine may be trying to thread a needle politically—keeping business interests happy while dodging backlash from conservatives—but in doing so, he’s missing the forest for the trees. America’s immigration system doesn’t exist to fill labor shortages. It exists to uphold national interest, enforce borders, and protect the integrity of legal pathways.

The jobs DeWine is worried about? They’ll get filled—either by legal workers or through market corrections. But bending immigration law to suit temporary economic convenience is not governance—it’s surrender.