His given name is Obensley.
But during the process of immigrating to the United States from Haiti, he became Obenson. Obenson Jean Gilles.
In the 1990s, his grandfather left Haiti for a better life in the United States. In the tiny town where Jean Gilles was from, electricity in homes was uncommon. His grandfather, who wasn’t sent to school, didn’t know how to read or write. Still, he managed to get the money and paperwork for his family to immigrate. For that, he was a “hero,” Jean Gilles said.
In 2010, not yet a teenager, Jean Gilles left Haiti for his new home.
“It just felt like, you know, it was finally time to go to heaven,” he said.
A 26-year-old whose work includes rideshare driving and operating a Haitian food truck and translation company, Jean Gilles, now living in Logansport, hopes to follow his grandfather’s example of building an identity. He said the perception of immigrants as taking resources isn’t true.
“Most of the time, though, if you really try to put yourself in their shoes, you realize that’s just people just like you but trying to survive,” he said. “Trying to find a better way to live.”
Indiana is home to tens of thousands of Haitians. Many of them are grappling with a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision allowing the federal government to proceed with stripping temporary protected status (TPS) from some 350,000 Haitians nationwide.
Jean Gilles’ residency isn’t at risk, he said. But he feels for those who are set to lose their protection. It’s in his city of Logansport, which previously received national attention and racist backlash amid an increase in Haitian immigrants, where the effects of this decision could be especially apparent.
History of Haitians’ temporary protected status
The U.S. Homeland Security secretary can grant TPS to countries experiencing extraordinary situations that prevent their citizens from being able to return safely, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Those under TPS can’t be deported and can obtain work authorization, as well as seek out other immigration protections.
This status for Haitians has been in place for over 16 years.
The designation first came in response to a 7.0-magnitude earthquake in 2010 which left over 315,000 people dead and 300,000 wounded.
Initially granted for 18 months, that status was subsequently extended several times for years. Courts blocked a Trump administration attempt to terminate the status during his first term. It was renewed under President Joe Biden. His Department of Homeland Security cited Haiti’s political instability, violence and other humanitarian concerns when extending TPS.
Trump restarted efforts to curb Haitians’ presence in the United States during his second term. In June last year, he restricted Haitian nationals from entering the country, pointing to security concerns. His administration challenged the latest of the Biden administration’s TPS extensions for Haiti, initially attempting to terminate protections five months early. After pushback in the lower courts, the Supreme Court in June allowed DHS to cancel TPS for Haitians.
Many Republicans applauded the move.
“The ‘T’ in TPS stands for TEMPORARY,” U.S. Sen. Jim Banks wrote on social media.
What the ruling means is that those 350,000 Haitians could be deported, if they don’t have another type of legal protection already and the government moves forward with canceling TPS. The Trump administration granted a short-term extension of their work authorizations Friday.
Rachel Van Tyle, director of legal services for Indianapolis-based Exodus Refugee Immigration, said many TPS recipients have also applied for asylum but simply haven’t been granted it since the process is “extremely long.”
Still, “There’s really limited avenues in which to get lawful status in this country,” she said.
‘It’s going to affect the entire community’
U.S. Census Bureau data from recent years for Logansport, with a population close to 18,300, shows 19% of it is foreign born. Around 2% of Logansport is Black alone, 18.7% multi-racial and 33.7% Hispanic or Latino.
In 2024, when Logansport was in the spotlight for its immigration influx, the previous mayor estimated that 2,000 to 3,000 Haitians had come to the city in recent years. Current Mayor Jacob Pomasl did not return several messages seeking comment.
Many of those immigrants sought the opportunity to work. Nearby Tyson Foods and Indiana Packers Corporation facilities have been two draws for Haitians.
“The Indiana Chamber is closely monitoring the potential workforce implications of this ruling for employers. Any significant change affecting the legal work authorization of individuals who are currently participating in our workforce has the potential to create operational challenges for businesses already facing workforce shortages,” said Indiana Chamber President and CEO Vanessa Green Sinders.
“Businesses need clarity and consistency in federal immigration and work authorization policy to plan effectively, remain compliant and maintain operations. We encourage federal officials to provide practical guidance that supports workforce stability and economic competitiveness.”
Legros Sejour said he came to Logansport in 2018 for the affordability, before working at Tyson. Since 2021, he’s run Sejour’s Caribbean Grocery.
There were few Haitians when he moved there, he recalled, and houses sat empty. Now, the city has been woken up, Sejour said, and there are more Haitian businesses.
Sejour thinks TPS being revoked could hurt his store and others. He expects business to pick back up, but it has recently slowed down, which he believes is because people are scared.
The Supreme Court decision on TPS was a “catastrophe,” said Ruth Estriplet, founder of Haitian Grassroots Coalition of Midwest. After the ruling came out, she called a friend. They both sobbed.
“We know how much it’s going to affect the entire community,” Estriplet said, from healthcare to education to housing to the ability to drive. Haitians not being able to work makes for a “sad situation,” she said, because they’d “do two, three jobs to provide for their families.”
A business consultant in the Indianapolis area, Estriplet started her coalition three years ago to bring services and training to the Haitian community in the state. Programming includes a Creole language discussion, partnerships with faith groups, dance sessions, a women’s empowerment fair and an upcoming youth empowerment symposium.
Estriplet hopes for action from the U.S. Senate to keep Haitians’ TPS intact. The U.S. House of Representatives, including Indiana’s two Democratic members, earlier this year passed a measure to do that with bipartisan backing. It’s unlikely to get past the Republican-majority Senate.
Unless that happens, Estriplet expects the fear of what’s next to continue. Fear of a knock at the door. Fear of sending children to school. But also fear of what could await in Haiti.
The U.S. State Department warns Americans “do not travel” to Haiti, the highest-level advisory. That’s because of risks like crime, kidnapping and terrorism. According to UN data, Haiti had over 41 homicides per 100,000 people in 2023, one of the highest rates in the world. Just over five years ago, the nation’s last president was assassinated.
Many Haitians here escaped gang violence. They’d be returning to a country in chaos with no “clear vision,” Estriplet said.
‘Don’t want people to forget about Haiti’
Jean Gilles, of Logansport lived away from Haiti’s capital Port-au-Prince, but he felt the shaking from the 2010 earthquake. He didn’t lose anyone in his family, but he saw the quake’s death and devastation, particularly when he went to the city to fly to the United States.
He and his family lived in Florida, but he also spent some time in Michigan and Ohio before ending up in Indiana. He likes Logansport for the opportunity it’s brought him. And because it’s quiet; he’s always preferred nature to the city. He feels the Haitian community is largely welcomed there by neighbors, he said, despite past portrayals in the media.
After a week or two there, he felt the city needed more Haitian food. That’s how the idea for Kay Manman Haitian Food Truck came about. It means mom’s house. He wanted to bring her cooking to the community.
The truck is on hold for now. But in May, Jean Gilles helped celebrate Haitian food and culture with a Flag Day festival in Logansport.
He wanted to foster pride in Haiti, something immigrants in the United States don’t always feel because of the situation there.
“I just don’t want people to forget about Haiti in the process of trying to find a better life,” he said.
To that end, Logansport’s Flag Day had music, dancing and activities for kids. And food, of course. Haitians and non-Haitians alike grabbed a plate. That’s how to know a culture is loved, he said.
“How can you eat people’s food and not like them, man?”
Reporter Mackenzi Klemann contributed to this report.
Indiana Capital Chronicle is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Indiana Capital Chronicle maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Niki Kelly for questions: info@indianacapitalchronicle.com.
