Mike DeWine pushes back as court ends Haiti TPS protections
Supreme Court Justices Samuel Alito and Elena Kagan clashed over whether President Trump's rhetoric about Haitians was racially motivated when the court voted 6-3 to let his administration end Temporary Protected Status for roughly 350,000 Haitians and thousands of Syrians. Ohio Republican Gov. Mike DeWine now urges Trump to reconsider, calling the policy a job killer for Springfield and the state.
The Washington Post opinion highlights a telling exchange that crystallized a wider divide: whether inflammatory political speech should factor into equal-protection claims. Alito, writing for the majority in Mullin v. Doe, held that federal law bars most judicial review of TPS terminations and that Trump's statements were not "overtly racial." Kagan's dissent put the remarks on the record anyway.
Key Takeaways
- The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 on June 25, 2026, clearing the Trump administration to end TPS for Haitians and Syrians.
- Alito said Trump's comments could rest on race-neutral policy grounds; Kagan called them "repellent and racially inflected."
- Republican Gov. Mike DeWine accepted the legal ruling but called ending Haiti TPS "a mistake" and a "job killer" for Ohio.
- More than 10,000 Haitians in Ohio—mostly in Springfield—could lose work authorization within weeks.
- Bloomberg opinion argues Congress should step in, noting Florida's reliance on Haitian healthcare and service workers.
What did Alito and Kagan argue about race in Mullin v. Doe?
In the consolidated cases Mullin v. Doe and Trump v. Miot, Justice Alito ruled that the statute creating TPS "allows no judicial review" of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's termination decisions. On equal protection, he wrote that none of Trump's or Noem's statements was "overtly racial" and that opposing TPS could reflect economic or immigration policy—not bias.
Justice Kagan, joined by Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson, disagreed forcefully. She said evidence included statements "so repellent and racially inflected that the majority declines to put them in print." She quoted Trump on Haitians eating pets in Springfield, calling Haiti a "shithole country," and saying migrants were "poisoning the blood" of America.
Kagan asked what "overtly racial" even means when "Haitians are Black. (Norwegians and Swedes not so much)." Alito countered that political discourse has grown coarser; Kagan replied the references to filth and primitiveness were "shot through with racial stereotypes." Read more context in the Washington Post opinion.
Why is Mike DeWine urging Trump to reconsider Haiti TPS?
On CNN's "State of the Union," DeWine separated law from policy. He said Thursday's decision "is a legal decision" but maintained that removing these individuals "is a mistake," according to The Hill.
DeWine noted more than 10,000 Haitians live legally in Ohio through TPS, primarily in Springfield. After the ruling, employing them becomes illegal and deportation risk rises—even as the State Department warns against travel to Haiti and the FAA restricts flights over gang violence.
The GOP governor said he hopes an administration focused on jobs will see Haitians filling manufacturing and food-sector roles employers cannot staff otherwise. Republican mayors and lawmakers in Haitian-heavy districts share that view, he added.
What happens to Haitian workers in Ohio and Florida now?
Work authorization for TPS holders typically lapses about 32 days after the ruling takes formal effect, leaving families and employers scrambling. DeWine called it "a job killer for Springfield" and bad for a state recruiting companies while struggling to fill openings.
The economic stakes extend beyond Ohio. A Bloomberg opinion argues Florida needs Haitian workers in healthcare and services for its aging population, urging Congress to let TPS-protected immigrants from Haiti and Syria stay. South Florida hosts the nation's largest Haitian American concentration, with advocates warning of devastating consequences for integrated communities.
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Can Congress still protect TPS holders?
The House previously passed H.R. 1689, which would extend Haiti TPS through April 2029, but its Senate prospects remain uncertain. Bloomberg's column presses lawmakers to act before protections fully expire.
The White House framed the ruling as affirming TPS is temporary by design. DeWine's appeal suggests a Republican governor may keep pressing politically even after the court closed one judicial door.