According to information published by the Springfield News-Sun, several Haitian immigrants went to the ICE offices in Cincinnati after receiving notifications from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to appear in person with all their immigration documents. At the end of the process, some were equipped with electronic monitoring devices. The measure began to be applied after the end of the temporary immigration protection program for Haitian citizens.
Between electronic monitoring and the risk of deportation
One of those affected, Sony Prenice, told the Cincinnati Enquirer that authorities offered her two options: wear an electronic shackle with mobility restrictions or face deportation proceedings accompanied by a $2,600 fine.
The device limits your movements to a radius of approximately 120 kilometers from your home, unless expressly authorized by the immigration authorities.
Activists denounce a “humiliating” measure
The decision provoked an immediate reaction among organizations that support the Haitian community. Vilès Dorsainvil, executive director of the Help and Support Center for the Haitian Community of Springfield, assured that the measure has spread fear among families.
"It is very humiliating to see innocent fathers and mothers with some type of electronic shackles. That has generated a lot of fear," Dorsainvil told NBC4.
The case occurs after the Supreme Court endorsed the government's decision to end the temporary immigration protection program for Haitian citizens, a resolution that affects more than 350,000 people who were legally residing in the country under that scheme.
While the authorities maintain that the new measures are part of compliance with current immigration policy, immigrant advocates warn that the use of electronic shackles could increase fear among communities that for years built their lives in the United States and now face an uncertain future.
