The Springfield TPS Case Is Also a Test of Immigrant-Led Civil Society

Since 2023, the Haitian Community Help & Support Center has been assisting refugees and immigrants, especially Haitian nationals, as they find their place in Springfield, OH. The center helps newcomers navigate housing applications, the job market, legal issues, and language barriers so they can become self-sufficient members of the community. For many, the center is more than just a service provider; it is a form of civic infrastructure.

Now, however, the center is under threat.

In July 2026, a decision from the Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS), a designation that permitted some nationals experiencing danger or difficulties in their home countries to live and work in the United States. The termination threatens not only immigration status, but also the structure built around the families the program served. Springfield’s TPS case raises a broader question: What happens to immigrant-led nonprofit infrastructure when the legal status of the community becomes unstable?

Why Springfield Matters

The Springfield Haitian community was growing long before it was put under the national political spotlight following false claims made by Donald Trump. Over the past several years, the number of Haitians in the Ohio city has risen. According to the City of Springfield, an estimated 12,000 to 15,000 Haitians now live in the county, with a mix of legal statuses. Many Haitian nationals in Springfield were given TPS because they were unable to return home due to unsafe conditions such as ongoing conflict, environmental disasters, and deadly epidemics that included a cholera outbreak.

Haitians were drawn to Springfield thanks to job opportunities, specifically in construction work, and a lower cost of living. As the Haitian population grew, so did the need for their own civic infrastructure. Places like the Haitian Community Help & Support Center became essential civic institutions, hosting such events as children’s Christmas parties and free language lessons.

But in 2024, false claims about Haitian residents fueled national political rhetoric that disrupted community life. Haitians in Springfield lived in fear following a string of bomb threats that resulted in the closure of city hall, schools, and other government buildings.

While much of the attention on Springfield focused on immigration politics, Haitians continued to build something that was much less visible: community institutions that allowed neighbors to support each other.

Building a Nonprofit from Inside the Community

The center, founded by Haitian leaders Viles Dorsainvil and Rose-Thamar Joseph, helps immigrants and refugees integrate into life in Springfield, supports education initiatives to bridge the gap, and advocates for their social, economic, and legal rights.

The center is more than just a nonprofit organization. It is a form of community governance in which Haitian immigrants have created trusted institutions at a time when many public institutions struggle to keep up with community needs. It is also an example of how communities often turn to grassroots organizations first.

But the termination of TPS sent ripples through every aspect of the nonprofit’s work and set the stage for deportations. Haitians who have lost their TPS status and entered immigration proceedings have been placed into ICE’s Alternatives to Detention program. They will have to wear an ankle monitor to track their whereabouts until an immigration judge decides whether they have a legitimate reason to remain in the United States.

This criminal designation is already having devastating impacts. In September, 20-year-old college student Pierre Damas Bel died by suicide after losing his TPS status and being forced to wear an ankle monitor. According to his family, the ankle monitor prevented him from playing soccer, which he loved; it also interfered with his ROTC uniform and caused bullying from classmates.

Springfield offers nonprofit leaders a stark reminder that organizational resilience is more than just expanding programs.

While services continue at the Haitian Community Help & Support Center, uncertainty now surrounds legal status and future residency, and Dorsainvil spends his days responding to frantic calls from Springfield Haitians.

The termination of TPS also carries practical consequences. Changes to immigration status mean that families and residents will need renewed legal guidance, and organizations like the Haitian Community Help & Support Center now have added roles. Not only are they providers of housing support, language access, advocacy, and financial literacy, but they must now interpret ever-changing immigration policy as communities turn to them for guidance.

Changes in legal status are also affecting the foundation of immigrant-led civic infrastructure. In August, the Haitian Community Help & Support Center was shut down for two days due to fear of a rumored ICE operation. Dorsainvil faces the same challenges as the community he serves. He has yet to receive a letter from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) about his own possible deportation, and despite the uncertainty hanging over his head, he continues to build a place where the community can turn. As he told TIME, “I meditate to reboost my system and mental health, just so that I can continue to serve my community again tomorrow, and the next day.”

What Nonprofits Can Learn

The TPS case in Springfield offers nonprofit leaders a stark reminder that organizational resilience is more than just expanding programs. Today, resilience means building community-trusted institutions that can absorb political shocks and continue to serve the community, rather than government agencies absorbing the initial fallout.

As policy changes, these organizations are expected to respond to public misinformation, panic, and increasing service demands without institutional support.

Nonprofits have always operated in uncertain times. But right now is one of the toughest periods for immigration nonprofits across the country. According to a report by legal software management firm , there are three major problems: policy shifts, unpredictable federal funding, and community demand outpacing organizations’ capacities. As policy around legal status shifts, people struggle to navigate the system—and organizations struggle to figure out these new uncertain systems themselves while under pressure from increased demand.

“Previously, certain cases that would have been considered simple and straightforward filings now require additional screening measures, disclaimers, and more evidence. We’ve seen higher RFEs [Request for Evidence] and denials. This has significantly impacted our caseworkers’ output,” Sylvia Ortiz, from The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA), said in the report.

The termination of TPS introduces another challenge to immigrant-led nonprofits. As policy changes, these organizations are expected to respond quickly to public misinformation, panic, and increasing service demands. It’s therefore crucial that nonprofit leaders strengthen their organizations before a crisis hits.

When public systems become unstable and unpredictable, immigrant-led organizations often become the glue that holds communities together. But the question looming is whether grassroots organizations will receive the support they need to continue assisting their communities.