Ohio's DeWine tells Trump to 'reconsider' stripping TPS protections from Haitians
Gov. Mike DeWine (R-OH) on Sunday urged President Donald Trump to “reconsider” ending temporary protection status for Haitian immigrants following a Supreme Court ruling that allows the administration to do so.
DeWine, in an interview with Jake Tapper on CNN’s State of the Union, reaffirmed his stance on the Trump administration stripping TPS for Haitian asylum-seekers following a statement the outgoing GOP governor made after the high court’s ruling.
“I would hope that the Trump administration would do is reconsider this,” DeWine said, noting that Haitians are a vital working group in Ohio’s manufacturing industry.
The Ohio governor also emphasized Haitians are vital to the nation’s healthcare industry, a similar point made by Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) on Thursday hours after the ruling came down.
“If you look at where they’re working across the country, probably the most important area they’re working is in healthcare,” DeWine said. “It’s Haitians who many times are taking care of your mom or your dad who has Alzheimer’s, taking care of family members who might be in a nursing home, and to say we’re going to pull all those out, it’s just not in our own self-interest.”
DeWine released a statement Thursday condemning the Trump administration’s move, saying that Haiti is unsafe for immigrants to return. The governor reiterated that point on Sunday.
“Anybody who has followed Haiti over a long, extended period of time knows that it’s worse than it has, frankly, ever, ever been, and certainly in recent memory,” he said.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin appeared on State of the Union before DeWine and defended the administration’s move.
Mullin said migrants in the U.S. under TPS have long had the opportunity to apply for permanent status or return to their home country.
“If I were talking directly to the individuals with the temporary protective status, either try to fill out the paperwork and be here underneath a permanent status, or we’ll help you get back to your country,” Mullin said.
DeWine, however, pointed to the difficulty for Haitians who choose to return to the island due to flight restrictions put in place because of gang violence. Mullin said the U.S. would help Haitians get home and offer $2,100 to “reestablish.”