Springfield Loses 1,100 Jobs as Haitian TPS Revocation Drains Workers and Customers
Updated
Updated · The Washington Post · Oct 21
Springfield Loses 1,100 Jobs as Haitian TPS Revocation Drains Workers and Customers
3 articles · Updated · The Washington Post · Oct 21
Summary
Springfield now leads Ohio in year-over-year job losses after thousands of Haitian residents lost deportation protections, with arrests, departures and people staying home hollowing out the city’s workforce and customer base.
Federal data show Clark County lost 1,100 manufacturing, leisure and hospitality jobs in 2025, a 2.2% contraction, and preliminary figures indicate the slide has continued this year.
Businesses tied to immigrant customers say the pullback is severe: one convenience-store operator reported sales down nearly 40% from a year ago, while an auto repair owner said work that once brought in up to $30,000 a week has dried up.
The economic shock follows the Supreme Court-backed end of TPS for about 350,000 Haitians and a broader deportation push that has already sent 766 Haitians out of the U.S. since Aug. 20.
Residents, churches and employers are rallying around detained or threatened workers, but advocates warn Springfield’s revival is being reversed as fear keeps a large share of a community that grew to 20% to 25% of the city out of public life.