Hundreds of Haitians in Ohio Fitted With Ankle Monitors by ICE

Jonas Julien, a 35-year-old Haitian immigrant in Springfield, Ohio, was fitted with a clunky black ankle monitor after reporting to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office on Wednesday.

Julien is among hundreds of Haitians in Springfield who have been summoned to ICE offices, according to the Haitian Support Center, a local organization. The group estimates over 100 people have been fitted with ankle monitors. Springfield, a city of 60,000 between Dayton and Columbus, has emerged as a hub of Haitian immigration and has seen a robust ICE presence.

Over 20 arrests have occurred in Springfield since last week. The electronic monitoring campaign follows the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) that allowed 330,000 Haitians to live and work in the United States. President Donald Trump's administration launched the aggressive campaign centered on Springfield. Fitting ankle monitors on noncitizens without a criminal history who remain in compliance with their immigration cases has little precedent.

Julien holds an active asylum petition and a work permit valid until 2029. A federal source told Fox News correspondent Bill Melugin that ICE arrested roughly 300 Haitian nationals in Ohio in recent days. This occurred as the agency considers transitioning into a find and arrest approach after giving Haitians several weeks to turn themselves in to ICE offices since TPS officially ended on July 27.

Sources indicate arrests of Haitians are expected to ramp up as ICE prioritizes tracking down those who never checked in. Federal officials had previously flagged Ohio as a priority target.