Ohio's Republican Governor Mike DeWine opposed U.S. President Donald Trump's order to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians. In an interview with CBS, DeWine described Haiti as 'hell,' saying that sending people under this status back to their country would be a mistake and would endanger their lives.
"Haiti today is hell," DeWine said. "You'd be sending people back to hell. Very few of these Haitians will voluntarily return to Haiti. If they have to leave, they'll go somewhere else. They want to work. They want to support their families. They don't want to go back to Haiti."
Governor DeWine noted that his hometown of Springfield has a significant Haitian TPS holder population, saying, 'These are people who have really helped Springfield get back on its feet. The Haitians living and working there came because there were jobs that others weren't filling.'
DeWine's remarks drew strong backlash, particularly from conservative commentators and online users. Sean Davis, co-founder of The Federalist, asked on X, 'What makes Haiti hell? Is it perhaps Haitians?' Logan Hall of The Blaze commented, 'Governor, what makes Haiti so bad?' while internet personality Larry Sanger said, 'The real question is: If Haiti is hell, why are we importing Haitians?'
Some users criticized DeWine's words by recalling that Trump used disparaging remarks about Haiti and some countries in 2018. It was also recalled that comedian Conan O'Brien defended Haiti's natural beauty at the time and organized a trip to the country.
Temporary Protected Status officially ended after Trump's order underwent Supreme Court review. A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson said, 'Temporary Protected Status is exactly that—temporary. TPS has been allowed to operate as a de facto amnesty program for a long time, even though Congress did not intend it to be permanent.'
DeWine's office did not respond to a request for comment on the online remarks. The White House has not yet issued a statement on the matter.
