Ohio Haitian Immigrants' Work Permits in 'Legal Limbo' as TPS Deadline Nears
A community advocate says thousands of Haitians in Columbus face uncertainty after the Supreme Court cleared the way to end Temporary Protected Status.
Work permits for Haitians in Ohio with Temporary Protected Status are in "legal limbo" as a deadline approaches, according to WOSU 89.7 NPR News. The report, published July 16, 2026, said the deadline for TPS work permits was pushed to July 24, according to Yola Lamarre, external relations coordinator with the Haitian Community Network, who spoke Thursday on WOSU's "All Sides with Amy Juravich." The U.S. Supreme Court ruled last month that the Trump administration can end TPS for more than 300,000 Haitians in the United States, according to the outlet. The Haitian Community Network in Columbus estimates there are about 30,000 Haitians in the city, roughly 18,000 of them on TPS. "We don't even know what the future will look like. If there ever will be a redesignation and extension or any type of relief," Lamarre said, describing daily uncertainty over reports of risk followed by last-minute relief. Lamarre said the potential loss of TPS would seriously affect the local economy, noting the community's economic contributions in Columbus. This is a developing, single-source account; further verification of dates and figures was not independently available at publication.