Voices rose in song and prayer in Springfield, Ohio, as residents gathered to support their Haitian neighbors after a Supreme Court ruling cleared the way for thousands of migrants to lose their legal protections.

The decision allows the federal government to end Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, for people from several countries, including Haiti and Syria. The program, created to shield foreign nationals from being returned to nations devastated by conflict or natural disaster, has covered more than a million people from multiple countries. For many Haitians in the United States, TPS has been the only safeguard preventing their return to a country still struggling with political instability, poverty, and the lingering effects of earthquakes and hurricanes.

In Springfield, a city that has seen a growing Haitian community in recent years, the ruling felt personal. Families who had built lives, opened businesses, and enrolled their children in local schools suddenly faced the prospect of being forced to leave. Community members responded by organizing a nighttime rally at Central Christian Church, turning the sanctuary and its grounds into a space for lament, resolve, and public witness.

Participants joined in hymns and Creole songs, some clutching candles, others holding handmade signs calling for compassion and a permanent path to residency. Local leaders spoke about the contributions Haitian migrants have made to the region’s workforce, churches, and civic life, emphasizing that the ruling was not an abstract legal matter but a direct threat to friends, coworkers, and parishioners.

Carl Ruby, pastor at Central Christian Church, captured the tension many conservatives in the area feel about immigration enforcement. “I can support the President and what he has done to deport the worst of the worst, but Haitians are the best of the best in our community,” he said, drawing applause and nods from the crowd. Ruby and other faith leaders urged elected officials to press for legislative solutions that would allow long-settled TPS holders to remain.

As the evening ended, organizers encouraged attendees to contact lawmakers, volunteer with legal aid groups, and continue showing up for Haitian neighbors. For many in Springfield, the rally was both a protest against the court’s decision and a declaration that, whatever happens in Washington, Haitians belong in Ohio.