In recent days, former Haitian TPS holders in Ohio have received letters from the Department of Homeland Security, requesting that they show up for appointments. Immigration attorneys say when their clients arrive for the appointments, federal officials have been placing ankle monitors on them.
Immigration attorneys told Scripps News it’s unusual to place ankle monitors on people who are not a flight risk or have no previous criminal history.
In June, The Supreme Court ruled the Trump administration is allowed to cancel the Temporary Protected Status program that allowed Haitians to legally live and work in the US.
There are now concerns that ankle monitors are another step for ICE to track Haitians and instill fear in the community.
“Some of them have like very basic concern of like, ‘how am I gonna take my child to school with ankle monitor on me and be maybe perceived as a criminal,’ or ‘how I’m gonna go to work in daycare to work with children and have ankle monitor, or volunteer at the church and have ankle monitor,'” said Nazly Mamedova, with the American Immigration Lawyers Association. “So, the basic concern for people is ‘I have this device on me that’s going to prevent me from living my life, which is already complicated.'”
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DHS has repeatedly said TPS was meant to be temporary. DHS’ general counsel said on social media:
“President Trump ran on ending TPS abuse, and he won decisively. We spent a year and a half litigating it all the way to the Supreme Court, and we won decisively. The only question now is whether these judges still believe in the Constitution.”
Since the Supreme Court’s ruling, the administration has canceled TPS for several countries, a decision that could affects tens of thousands of people.
