Bend the Arc: Ohio stands as Buckeyes and as Jews in solidarity with their Haitian neighbors, who are being directly targeted by the Trump administration’s cruel immigration policies. Jewish values and Jewish history demand action.
After the Supreme Court’s decision ending Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitian immigrants across the country, ICE has increased detention and deportation raids specifically in Springfield, Ohio. Bend the Arc: Ohio is seeing neighbors and community members outfitted with ankle monitors, forced to stay home from work and school, and an entire city besieged by roving bands of ICE agents.
Bend the Arc: Ohio recognizes ICE’s tactics of humiliation and creating fear from other dark moments of history. Just this week, Ohio saw the very real results of these conditions with the tragic death of Pierre Damas Bel, a young Haitian man in Springfield with dreams of studying medicine. May his memory be for a blessing.
Here are four actions you can take as a network of Jewish progressives at this moment to stand in solidarity with the Haitian community in Springfield:
Call Ohio elected officials and demand the immediate release of two Springfield pastors.
Share this clergy letter addressed to elected officials with rabbis, cantors and faith leaders.
Support the Haitian Support Center as they provide much-needed on the ground resources to those experiencing this violence and trauma in Springfield.*
Phonebank with Bend the Arc: A Jewish Partnership for Justice on Tuesday, September 8 to help recruit poll workers in Ohio and ensure a democracy where all of us, regardless of status, are safe and can thrive.
In Solidarity,
Elliot, on behalf of Bend the Arc: Ohio
P.S. Outraged about Christian nationalism in Ohio? Concerned that antisemitism is being used as a smokescreen for authoritarianism? Worried about the state of electoral democracy this fall? Bend the Arc: Ohio is bringing together Jewish progressives across the state to organize for the election and beyond. Email [email protected] to learn more and connect with a chapter leader.
*the Haitian Support Center is not affiliated with Bend the Arc or any of its entities; this link is for informational purposes only.
