Community Discusses Haitian Refugees and The Future of Immigration in Central Ohio

By Irina Perry

January 21, 2026, at the National Veterans Memorial and Museum, community leaders, immigration advocates, legal experts, and engaged residents convened for a critical public forum titled “Haitian Refugees and the Future of Immigration in Central Ohio.”

Hosted by the Columbus Metropolitan Club, the event spotlighted the evolving landscape of U.S. immigration policy and its real-world impact on thousands of Haitian families who have built lives across Central Ohio.

As Temporary Protected Status (TPS) faced uncertainty, speakers grounded the conversation in lived experience and policy realities — connecting national immigration debates to the everyday lives of Haitian immigrants who contribute to the region’s economy, culture, and civic life.

• Lourdes Barroso de Padilla, Columbus City Councilmember, opened with insights into how local government interfaces with immigrant communi
• ties and supports inclusion within civic life.
• Emily Brown, Director, Immigration Clinic, The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law offered legal perspective on TPS, asylum pathways, and the challenges families face navigating complex immigration systems.
• Sophia Pierrelus, Entrepreneur & Former Secretary of the Mouvement Patriotique des Haïtiens Conscients (MPHC) spoke to the Haitian diaspora experience, community resilience, and economic contributions of Haitian Americans in Central Ohio.
• Angela Plummer, Executive Director, Community Refugee & Immigration Services (CRIS) addressed refugee resettlement support, community integration, and access to essential services.

The panel was moderated by Danae King, Underserved Communities Reporter for The Columbus Dispatch, who guided discussions linking national policy shifts to local implications for families, workplaces, and public life in Central Ohio.

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