Ohio Pastors Emerge as Allies for Haitian Migrants Amid Trump Crackdown

Reginald Silencieux and Carl Ruby provide shelter, aid, and spiritual support to Haitian community in Springfield, Ohio

Mar. 13, 2026 at 3:06pm

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Two Ohio pastors, Reginald Silencieux and Carl Ruby, have emerged as faithful allies for Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio, during President Trump's ongoing immigration crackdown. The pastors, one from rural Haiti and the other from rural Michigan, have provided shelter, legal aid, food, and spiritual support to the city's Haitian community, which fears deportation. They have also organized trainings, protests, and community events to support the migrants, many of whom arrived in Springfield under the Temporary Protection Status program.

Why it matters

The actions of Pastors Silencieux and Ruby highlight the important role that faith leaders can play in supporting immigrant communities, especially during times of political tension and uncertainty. Their efforts to provide aid and spiritual guidance to Haitian migrants in Springfield, as well as their advocacy for the extension of the Temporary Protection Status program, demonstrate the power of religious institutions to serve as a bulwark against anti-immigrant policies and rhetoric.

The details

Silencieux, pastor of the First Haitian Evangelical Church, and Ruby, pastor of Central Christian Church, have worked together to support Springfield's Haitian migrants. They have offered shelter in their churches, organized community events and protests, provided legal aid and food, and held English language classes. The pastors have also faced threats and backlash for their actions, including bomb threats targeting their churches and homes. However, they have remained steadfast in their commitment to supporting the Haitian community.

  • In 2021, Silencieux felt called to move to Springfield, Ohio to support the growing Haitian immigrant community.
  • In 2023, tensions flared in Springfield after a Haitian immigrant driver was involved in a fatal school bus crash.
  • In 2024, President Trump made derogatory comments about Springfield's Haitian migrants, falsely accusing them of eating their neighbors' cats and dogs.
  • In the weeks after Trump's comments, schools, government buildings, and the homes of elected officials received dozens of bomb threats.
  • In 2026, a federal judge recently ruled to temporarily keep the Temporary Protection Status program in place, but uncertainty and fear continue in Springfield.

The players

Reginald Silencieux

Pastor of the First Haitian Evangelical Church in Springfield, Ohio, who grew up in rural Haiti and moved to the U.S. in 2021 to support the city's growing Haitian immigrant community.

Carl Ruby

Pastor of Central Christian Church in Springfield, Ohio, who grew up in rural Michigan and has become a champion for the city's Haitian migrants, even putting his own life at risk to support and welcome them.

Viles Dorsainvil

Executive director of the Haitian Community Help and Support Center in Springfield, who has worked closely with Pastors Silencieux and Ruby to support the Haitian community.

Donald Trump

The former President of the United States, whose derogatory comments about Springfield's Haitian migrants exacerbated anti-immigrant fears and led to a wave of threats and backlash against the community and its supporters.

Martin Luther King Jr.

The renowned civil rights leader whose life and legacy inspired Pastor Ruby to commit to using his voice to help those who are oppressed.

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What they’re saying

“Both of them have been great leaders for the community.”

— Viles Dorsainvil, Executive director of the Haitian Community Help and Support Center

“As a pastor, I don't have any possibility to protect them. Faith helps me to help the community.”

— Reginald Silencieux, Pastor of the First Haitian Evangelical Church

“I made a commitment to myself that I wouldn't do that; that if there were an opportunity for me to use my voice to help someone who was being oppressed, that I wouldn't be silent.”

— Carl Ruby, Pastor of Central Christian Church

What’s next

The judge in the case will decide on Tuesday whether or not to allow the Temporary Protection Status program to remain in place, which will have a significant impact on the future of Haitian migrants in Springfield.

The takeaway

The actions of Pastors Silencieux and Ruby demonstrate the vital role that faith leaders can play in supporting immigrant communities, especially during times of political turmoil and uncertainty. Their unwavering commitment to providing aid, spiritual guidance, and advocacy for Haitian migrants in Springfield serves as an inspiring example of how religious institutions can be a force for good in the face of anti-immigrant rhetoric and policies.