Ohio Gov. DeWine Warns Supreme Court TPS Ruling Could Have Major Impact on Haitian Residents

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine voiced concern Friday over the potential consequences of the Supreme Court’s decision in Mullin v. Doe, saying the ruling could have significant implications for thousands of Haitians living and working in his state under Temporary Protected Status (TPS).
In a statement issued after the high court’s ruling, the Republican governor acknowledged that the decision resolved a legal question but reiterated his longstanding disagreement with the underlying policy.
“Today’s decision is a legal decision. As I have stated in the past, the policy to remove these individuals from this country is a mistake,” DeWine said.
According to the governor, more than 10,000 Haitian nationals living in Ohio under TPS could now become eligible for immediate deportation as a result of the court’s decision.
The TPS program provides temporary protection from deportation for nationals of designated countries while also allowing eligible individuals to obtain work authorization. Under federal law, the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security determines which countries qualify for the program based on conditions including ongoing armed conflict, environmental disasters, epidemics or other extraordinary circumstances, according to the Congressional Research Service.
Although the Supreme Court’s ruling directly concerns TPS protections for citizens of Haiti and Syria, it could have broader implications. The Trump administration has indicated it intends to revoke TPS protections for 13 of the 17 countries currently covered by the program.
Congressional Research Service data shows that as of March 2025, 330,735 Haitians were protected under TPS.
DeWine argued that conditions in Haiti remain dire.
“The situation in Haiti could hardly be much worse,” he said. “The violent gangs run most of the country. The government barely functions. And, the economy is in shambles.”
The governor also pointed to the U.S. State Department’s current travel advisory for Haiti. The country remains under a “Level 4: Do not travel” advisory because of concerns including crime, terrorism, kidnapping, civil unrest and limited access to healthcare.
Haiti was first designated for TPS following the devastating 2010 earthquake during the Obama administration. The designation has since been renewed under previous administrations due to ongoing concerns over security and instability in the country.
Former Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced the termination of Haiti’s TPS designation in September 2025, setting off the legal battle that ultimately led to the Supreme Court’s ruling.
DeWine has previously criticized the administration’s effort to end TPS protections for Haitians living in Ohio, arguing that the policy could also affect the state’s economy.
“If they lose temporary protected status and they no longer can work and the companies can’t employ them, that’s a blow to the economy, that’s a blow to the state,” DeWine said during a February interview with CNN’s Dana Bash.
Many Democrats have also warned that the ruling could have serious consequences for immigrant communities across the country. DeWine is among a relatively small number of Republicans who have publicly opposed the court’s decision.
Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., also expressed concern following Thursday’s ruling, saying it could “create a crisis” and pointing to the thousands of Haitian TPS recipients employed in the healthcare sector.
On the social platform X, Lawler urged the administration to provide an orderly transition if TPS protections are revoked.
“I’m asking the administration to allow for an orderly process by which Haitian TPS holders can maintain their work authorization while their immigration cases are adjudicated over the next six months, if the revocation of TPS moves forward,” Lawler wrote.
The White House, however, welcomed the Supreme Court’s decision, calling it “a tremendous win for the Trump administration.”
White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said the ruling reaffirmed the administration’s position that TPS was always intended to be temporary.
“Today, the Supreme Court affirmed what President Trump has always maintained: temporary protected status is, by definition, temporary,” Jackson said.
“It was never intended to be a pathway to permanent status or legal residency and it is committed to the discretion of the Secretary of Homeland Security,” she continued. “The Trump Administration continues to lawfully end the egregious abuses to our immigration system that have hurt Americans for years.”