Springfield, Ohio – Katelyn Moise ran away without saying violence Hoping to find peace and a piece of the American dream in her homeland Haiti, she settled in Springfield, Ohio.
“I live here,” Moise told CBS News. “I work two jobs to run my business. That's why I don't go back to Haiti.”
Moise saved money for years and recently opened a restaurant. He is one of thousands of Haitian immigrants living in Springfield who are now finding themselves in the crosshairs Of the incoming Trump administration. Approximately 12,000 to 15,000 Haitians live in the Springfield area, according to City estimate.
Springfield came to the fore during President-elect Donald Trump's debate with Vice President Kamala Harris on September 10, when Trump Repeatedly false and debunked claims About the Haitian immigrants living there. Local officials have said there are no credible reports to support such allegations.
Trump made issue of mass deportation A key pillar of his presidential campaign.
“We're going to do the largest deportation in the history of our country, and we're going to start in Springfield and Aurora,” Trump said. told reporters On September 13, referring to Aurora, Colorado, other cities Trump has tried to make headlines.
He announced last week that the taping would be tom homan — who served as acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement during his first term — as his so-called “border czar” to oversee that process.
Moise, like most of Springfield's fellow Haitians, is here legally temporary protected statusWhich Trump has vowed to end. The TPS program allows federal officials to grant deportation relief and work authorization to immigrants from countries beset by war, environmental disaster, or some other “extraordinary” crisis.
Moise says she knows of 10 friends and neighbors who have recently left Springfield, along with several restaurant employees.
He said that while in Springfield he also learned that his mother had been shot to death while working on her family's business in Haiti.
“I'm scared because my business in Haiti was bombed, I lost my mother,” Moise told CBS News. “Someone comes into the business, they shoot my mom with a gun, bomb my business…If I get deported to go back to Haiti, for me, especially, I'm going to die. “Yeah, I'm gonna die.”
Moise's own daughter was among those leaving Springfield. Moise said that when his daughter told him she wanted to go, he considered joining her.
“Yeah, I keep thinking about it. I don't know where I'll go, but I keep thinking about it,” Moise said.
Faith is motivating Moise to stay in Springfield and run his restaurant while his business and his future hang in the balance.
“We're hoping everything works out the way it should,” he said. “God has a way of dealing with everything.”
Contributed to this report.
