Springfield Government Officials Meet with Haitian Community at NAACP Special Meeting
BY JEFF SKINNER
SPRINGFIELD - The NAACP hosted a ‘town hall’ meeting with elected officials and a coalition of nonprofits which have facilitated the mass influx of Haitians into Springfield to attempt to address concerns by attendees over what may occur in February when the Temporary Protective Status expires.
Panelists at the meeting included Mayor Rob Rue, Springfield NAACP President Denise Williams, Central Christian Church Pastor Carl Ruby, Springfield Police Chief Allison Elliott, Clark County Health Commissioner Chris Cook, Springfield City Manager Bryan Heck, St. Vincent de Paul Executive Director Casey Rollins, Haitian Community Help and Support Center President Viles Dorsainvil, Advocates for Basic Legal Equality Senior Attorney Katie Kersh, ABLE Attorney Maria Otero, ABLE community organizer Biassu Pierre and Springfield City School District Superintendent Bob Hill.
Readers may remember Casey Rollins was one of several members of the coalition who was specifically named in the lawsuit against far-right organization “Blood Tribe” in which she claimed her email had been hacked. The response came as it was noted at least one of the ‘bomb threats’ sent around Springfield came from Rollins' account back in February 2025.
According to reporting from Springfield News-Sun and attendees, the meeting did not provide relevant answers to the concerns of attendees, namely of whether the city will be cooperating with federal immigration laws pertaining to deportations. However, based on the Springfield Commission and police departments documented actions over the last few years, some things may be gleaned. During the event, attorney Katie Kersh stated people should be “vigilant and realistic about the threats of detention” but “do not let your fear dissuade people from asserting their constitutional right to due process." The statement is a contentious one as the right to due-process for those in the country illegally is one still being debated on the federal level. Haiti has additionally recently been listed on an issued memo from the White House.
Speakers at the event attempted to outline some strategies they are conducting to help insulate as many TPS recipients as possible, while still not violating Federal law. According to Vincent de Paul Executive Director Casey Rollins, the organization is working on procuring passports for individuals to obtain passports and have custody agreements for children born in the U.S. to parents here illegally. She said in the last two days, the nonprofit helped nine individuals in this circumstance.
Katie Kersh informed attendees they have the right to refuse home access to ICE agents without a warrant, effectively providing individuals a temporary solution to deportation as agents would be forced to obtain individualized warrants for known illegals. This bottleneck strategy has been effective in clogging up deportation processes across the country.
Springfield City School District Superintendent Bob Hill added that while the district will maintain compliance ‘with the law’ officials would need to provide all relevant paperwork documentation before conducting their business on school grounds and would only be permitted to do so in a way that was not disruptive to education. These statements were not elaborated upon. Attendees asked about reports of ICE agents wearing masks and if they should comply with masked individuals or how to validate they are officers and not imposters. They were informed to ‘contact law enforcement.’ It was noted that Springfield Police Chief Allison Elliott and did not provide an answer to this question. ICE agents involved in deportations have been advised to cover their faces due to repeated acts of violence made against federal agents attempting to enforce the law.
Historically, the judicial administration in Springfield has a long-standing trend of failing to prosecute misdemeanor crimes of Haitian immigrants that might get the attention of federal deportation agencies and has worked to encrypt police dispatch communications, as some neighboring officials have stated, in an attempt to cut off the public eye from how they may be ordered to handle Haitian offenses.
Further, the panel in attendance at the NAACP represents, according to some, a who's-who of individuals and agencies tightly involved with the importation of Haitian migrants, including Carl Ruby, whose Welcome Springfield initiative bears the most direct responsibility to the catastrophe. Additionally, Mayor Rob Rue has publicly made statements to his preference of assisting the Haitian community, who are present illegally.
Given this panel coalition, some have speculated it is possible wider strategies may be implemented to postpone, delay or impede federal actions after the February deadline.
Residents can report illegal immigration activity to ICE directly at https://www.ice.gov/webform/ice-tip-form or to their tip line at Call 866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423) (from U.S. and Canada)
