Reaction is rolling into Thursday’s ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court that could oust thousands of Haitians living in the state under temporary protected status.
Estimates on Indiana’s Haitian population vary. Some are as high as 50,000, but most put the number in the low tens of thousands.
Haitian immigrants have found work in manufacturing plants around Indiana, with a large contingent in Logansport. That has helped Cass County buck the trend of rural population decline.
“It’s important to remember that these are actually people,” said Rachel Van Tyle, director of legal services for Exodus Refugee Immigration, based in Indianapolis. “I think we lose sight so much—these are humans that have kids, and they’re in your schools, and they’re hanging out in the neighborhood with you and going to the park—the tragedy of this all, and that this administration just effectively dismantled the lives of 330,000 people in this country.”
She wasn’t surprised by the decision but expressed disappointment.
“I don’t purport to speak for a community that I’m not a member of, but I would imagine it’s a very scary time,” Van Tyle said. “Many people have been here a long time. … People might lose their jobs.”
Attorney General Todd Rokita called the Supreme Court’s decision, which also affects Syrians, “a massive win for the rule of law” on social media.
“This decision is of particular interest to our communities that have been inundated with TPS migrants,” Rokita wrote. “It will help ease the strain on Hoosier schools, hospitals, housing and taxpayers caused by unchecked migration.”
U.S. Sen. Jim Banks also applauded the court’s ruling.
“The ‘T’ in TPS stands for TEMPORARY,” he wrote.
U.S. Rep. André Carson, whose Indianapolis district represents much of the state’s Haitian population, said on social media it was “inhumane.”
“Even if your home country is still in crisis, you could be sent back anyway,” he wrote. “For many immigrants targeted by this administration, that means returning to extremely dangerous conditions after they’ve already fled for their lives. That doesn’t make our country safer. It’s just wrong.”
“I’ll keep fighting to fix this injustice,” he added.
In April, Carson voted for a long-stalled measure aiming to extend TPS for Haitians.
“Haitian immigrants have found a home in Indianapolis and communities across the country – and they deserve to stay here,” Carson said in a release then.
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