OPN Jan 29 send: Springfield braces

As always, I’m more than happy to take questions, tips, or concerns. I can be reached at Avery.Kreemer@coxinc.com or on X at @AveryKreemer.

• The story: On a recent Thursday afternoon, at a mostly empty Caribbean restaurant in southeast Springfield, Pushon Jacques grimaced as he talked about what could happen if and when Haiti loses its Temporary Protected Status after Tuesday.

• Quote: “It has a big impact,” said Jacques, 41, who is a TPS holder. “I won’t be able to work, I will not be able to provide for my family. It’s a bad situation to be in.”

• Back home: Jacques said Haiti is ruled by gangs and violence is rampant. He said deporting people back to a country with such dangerous conditions would be cruel. “The situation in Haiti — especially the political situation — has made Haiti unlivable,” said Jacques, who has lived in Springfield for about three years. “There is no place in Haiti that is safe right now.”

• Deadline looms: Haiti’s TPS designation is on track to expire after Tuesday. State and local officials say they’ve received no indication from the federal government what will happen then, but they are preparing for the potential of federal immigration enforcement operations, possibly as early as Wednesday. The decision has been challenged in federal court.

• Here’s Cornelius Frolik with more on Jacques and many other Haitians that have settled around Springfield.

• The story: Some political leaders across the region, Ohio and the country put their reactions on the record after federal immigration agents shot and killed a 37-year-old American citizen in Minneapolis last weekend.

• The shooting: The victim, later identified as Minnesotan ICU nurse Alex Pretti, was killed Saturday during an incident with Border Patrol. Videos of the incident surfaced online, showing Pretti putting himself in between federal agents and a woman those agents shoved. He was later pepper sprayed, brought to the ground by several agents, and as they tried to subdue him, was repeatedly shot.

• Conflicting stories: On Sunday morning, the Department of Homeland Security made a post on X saying Pretti had a 9 mm handgun on his person, along with two magazines. “This looks like a situation where an individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement,” the post continued.

• White House reactions: After the shooting, Vice President JD Vance reposted a post from White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Stephen Miller, which painted Pretti as an “assassin” who “tried to murder federal agents.” A few days later, President Donald Trump told reporters that he did not believe Pretti was an assassin and that he wanted an investigation.

• Here’s my full story.

• Bracing: A message sent to Springfield City School District staff obtained by the Springfield News-Sun says school officials are expecting a federal immigration enforcement operation may begin in Springfield lasting at least 30 days sometime after Tuesday, the day Temporary Protected Status runs out for Haitians. Here’s Jessica Orozco again.

• Limited details: Despite the warning from Springfield schools, there’s been no specific information about when or even if any federal activity may occur shared with the schools, city officials or state, our reporting found. Here’s that story from Jessica Orozco, me, and Josh Sweigart.

• Resolution: The Springfield City Commission unanimously passed a resolution asking (the city can’t require anything of the feds) federal immigration agents to follow local rules when conducting enforcement activities, like carrying an ID and not wearing a mask. Here’s Jessica Orozco.

• Rejected: Miami Twp. continues to face responsibility for paying a $45 million verdict to a man wrongfully convicted for more than two decades after the U.S. Supreme Court recently denied a request to review the case. Here’s the story from Samantha Wildow and Eric Schwartzberg.

• Tax burdens: While briefing with local officials, Montgomery County Auditor Karl Keith said many residents can’t afford to pay their property taxes, and that more relief is needed. Here’s Sydney Dawes.

• Trafficking relief: Two new anti-human trafficking initiatives will soon be coming to Montgomery County, the state recently announced, including a non-police response unit and a program to embed human trafficking experts into the county’s children services agency. Here’s my story.

• Bribery trial: Seven years after executives at Akron-based FirstEnergy Corp. paid $4.3 million to a soon-to-be top state official tasked with regulating power companies, a jury will soon be empaneled to answer a simple question: Was the money a bribe? Here’s Jake Zuckerman with Signal Ohio.

• TPS challenge: Viles Dorsainvil, a Haitian community leader in Springfield, is a plaintiff in one of several lawsuits that attempt to block the Trump Administration’s decision to let Temporary Protected Status expire for Haitians on Feb. 3. Here’s Cornelius Frolik.

• Another shutdown?: Another lapse in congressional funding for the federal government appears to be an increasingly distinct possibility. The Senate this week has been divided on funding for the Department of Homeland Security, opening the door to a possible reprise of another federal government shutdown. Here’s Thomas Gnau.

• Flying cars: Rep. Mike Turner, R-Dayton, and Sen. Jon Husted are two of the Ohio lawmakers urging the Federal Aviation Administration to position Ohio agencies as key players in a new federal effort to encourage production of a new kind of aircraft. Here’s the story from Thomas Gnau.